In Practice

Autistic young people's views on the future of SEND

Autistic young people understand the SEND system because they experience it every day.

They know what it feels like to fight for support, to be misunderstood, to mask just to get through the school day and to navigate a system that too often isn't designed with them in mind. They also know what good support looks like and what needs to change.

As the Government considers major reforms to England's SEND system, autistic young people are asking one simple question: what will these changes mean in practice?

For too long, autistic young people have been expected to adapt to an education system that wasn't designed with them in mind. They are expected to fit into environments that don't meet their needs, work harder simply to access the same opportunities as their peers and mask who they are to get through the school day.

This report calls for that expectation to change. Instead of asking autistic children and young people to adapt to the system, the system must adapt to them.

Download the report       Download easy read
 

How this report was shaped

This isn't a report about autistic young people. It's a report they helped create.

Working alongside Ambitious about Autism, autistic young people shaped this report from start to finish. Through a series of workshops, they explored the Government's proposed SEND reforms, shared their experiences, challenged ideas that didn't reflect their lives and identified what they believe needs to change.

Their role went far beyond sharing personal stories. They helped decide what questions the report should answer, what evidence mattered most, what recommendations Government should consider and how success should be measured. As each chapter was drafted, they reviewed it, challenged it and refined it to make sure the final report reflected what they wanted decision-makers to hear.

Every recommendation, reflection and priority in this report has been informed by autistic young people with lived experience of the SEND system.
 

What autistic young people want the Government to get right

Throughout the report, autistic young people make clear that successful SEND reform must:

• Involve autistic children, young people and families in decisions that affect them.
• Make mainstream education genuinely inclusive, with support that works in practice.
• Ensure support is personalised, consistent and delivered when it is needed.
• Give teachers and school staff the knowledge and confidence to support autistic pupils.
• Improve accountability so children and young people receive the support they are entitled to, wherever they live.
• Judge success by whether autistic children and young people's lives actually improve.

In Practice brings together autistic young people's lived experience, ideas and recommendations for the future of SEND.

Because the people who experience the system every day should help shape what comes next. 

Related resources

• Report summary
  A short overview of the key findings and recommendations.
• Policy guide
  Practical guidance on putting the policy into practice.
• Listen to the report
  Audio version of the report.

Absence Notes

Add your name to our collective Absence Note, calling on the Government to reform SEND and create an education system where every autistic child and young person can learn, belong, and thrive. 

Sign our petition