Years of Conservative cuts have allowed autism and mental health support for children to deteriorate. Clementine Russell argues against the right-wing assault on children’s services

If you thought the Conservatives couldn’t get any worse, you are, perhaps unsurprisingly, wrong. Their most recent attempt to point the blame at anyone other than themselves for the issues in our country targets vulnerable autistic children. At the beginning of this month, Renewal 2030, Kemi Badenoch’s leadership campaign organisation, published a 40-page essay called “Conservatism in Crisis: Rise of the Bureaucratic Class”. Its topics include, among others, “The bureaucratic class assault on capitalism”. The essay is introduced and signed by new leader of the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch, along with 13 other MPs and 8 councillors.

One section that has received much criticism is “The socialisation of mental health”. The authors’ general viewpoint about mental health is clear from their statement that:

“In short, whereas once psychological and mental health was seen as something that people should work on themselves as individuals, mental health has become something that society, schools and employers have to adapt around.”

The essay doubles down on this view, claiming that “Being diagnosed as neuro-diverse was once seen as helpful as it meant you could understand your own brain, and so help you to deal with the world.”
The first glaring issue with this statement is that the term “neuro-diverse” refers generally to the diversity of all minds, whilst ‘neurodivergent’, a more fitting term, refers to those with neurological differences such as autism. Moreover, the writers have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the primary goal of a neurodivergence diagnosis actually is.

While getting a diagnosis can help an individual understand their own brain, often the key reason for a person seeking a diagnosis is the medical validation of the condition, and the societal support that comes with it. I was diagnosed with autism when I was 15. My parents and I knew I was autistic before being diagnosed, but we still sought this diagnosis to gain more support from the mental health and educational system, support which has helped me greatly.

The essay goes on to say: “But now it also offers economic advantages and protections.” This assertion could refer to benefits like Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which support people with disabilities and mental health conditions in making daily life easier. I get PIP because of my autism and mental health conditions, something that the author of this piece presumably considers an “economic advantage”. However, in reality, PIP only allows me to get the support I need in order to be able to function at a neurotypical level. For example, I need noise cancelling headphones to be able to travel without getting overwhelmed, something I couldn’t have otherwise afforded.

The writers continue: “If you have a neurodiversity diagnosis (e.g. anxiety, autism) […] If you are a child, you may well get better treatment or equipment at school – even transport to and from home.” Autistic children getting the support they need to flourish, the essay presents this good thing as a problem. In any case, the statement is untrue. In my experience, autistic children get worse treatment from the education system than many of their neurotypical peers.

More than a tragic anomaly

When I started to struggle with mental health issues related to autism, my parents were told by my headteacher that I just needed to “become more resilient”. From there, my educational journey became even more difficult. I spent months off school with no support, ended up going to two therapeutic educational placements – the first being cut short by the council despite being massively helpful, and the other being wildly inappropriate, making my mental health much worse – and did my GCSEs a year late, with no external support. My mum had to take time off work to help me get through my GCSEs, of which I was only able to take four. My parents helped me immensely through my rocky mental health and educational journey, filling out my EHCP (Education Health Care Plan) themselves, writing a complaint about the inappropriate school placement I was put in, and much more – privileges only afforded to us due to my parents’ flexible, middle class jobs.

To those who have no experience with SEN (Special Educational Need) education, my story might seem like a tragic anomaly, but anyone reading this who does have such experience will find it all too familiar. Many of the friends I met along the journey struggled with similar difficulties. One friend had been in and out of eating disorder and psychiatric wards for three years when I met her at 15, eating disorders being a very common coping mechanism for autistic girls. Only with her EHCP was she allowed to stay at the therapeutic placement where I met her and take her GCSEs.

Another friend with autism and other mental health difficulties was denied an EHCP before getting diagnosed with autism, delaying the process of getting his EHCP massively, affecting his education and health.

My brother, who is also autistic, had to wait two years on the NHS to get an autism diagnosis. This reflects the poor state of the mental health system due to Tory cuts- long waits and high thresholds for treatment result in 1.2 million waiting for help.

The statements made in the essay reflect common conservative talking points regarding SEN education. Less than a year ago, Robert Colvile, the think-tank director who co-wrote the 2019 Tory manifesto said of EHCPs “[they] are also the equivalent of a golden ticket. If you have one, the council is legally obliged to bend over backwards on your behalf, at the expense of everyone else.”

The reality is that EHCPs are very difficult to obtain, with a 20 week minimum waiting time. EHCPs allow for children with learning disabilities, neurological conditions, such as autism, and mental health issues to continue through education with the support they need. Without EHCPs, myself and many other children would’ve effectively had no way to get an education.

Time for change?

Despite Tory attempts to deflect responsibility for the state of the NHS, especially the mental health sector, the result of Conservative cuts are clear. Spending on mental health has increased at a slower rate than overall NHS expenditure, and the proportion of the NHS budget spent on mental health has fallen since 2016/17. 9.9% of mental health posts are vacant (compared to 6.9% for the NHS overall). This particularly affects those with learning disabilities, with a 69% reduction in learning disability beds since 2010/11. The new Labour government has initiated a review into SEND provision in this country, though whether they will provide adequate funding is yet to be seen.

To repeat, in response to the essay’s inaccurate claim, autistic children are not getting better treatment in schools. They are often treated as lazy for not coming in, as having poor work ethic for not being able to meet deadlines, and their basic needs are rarely met. It is incredibly difficult for autistic children of middle class backgrounds, such as myself, to get the support they need, with parents often having to fight for the accommodations we need. However, this process becomes even more difficult for working class families who may not have the time to do the council and school’s jobs for them, nor the confidence to stand up to authority figures who are neglecting their children’s needs.

This essay perhaps reveals the wider right wing mindset when it comes to not only autistic children but the mental health and education systems as a whole. Rather than investigating the root cause of these issues – the severe lack of funding to these institutions that has largely been caused by 14 years of Conservative government – Kemi Badenoch and other right-wing politicians choose instead to put the blame on vulnerable children and their families, twisting what is, in reality, a very broken and damaging system into a ‘golden ticket’ that we should be grateful to have, if and when we finally receive it.