Email sent by us on 27th June (no contact before this since November 28th 2024)

Email received from Special Advisor stating that the meeting requested was for neither John Swinney or Jenny Gilruth

Neurodivergence Connect was created to help change this. We offer lived-experience CPD that fills the gap left by the system.
We believe teachers want to do better. They just need the tools to get there.
neurodivergenceconnect.com
#InclusionMatters #ASN #NeurodivergentVoices

7. The gap between policy and practice is harming both teachers and pupils.
Families feel ignored. Teachers feel unprepared. Pupils with support needs deserve more than this.

6. Teachers say:
“I had no training in visual schedules or communication tools.”
“I had to Google how to write an IEP.”
“I learned more from parents and support staff than from my degree.”

5. Moving into ASN roles is just as unclear. There is no required qualification. No national pathway.
Many teachers are placed in ASN roles without training. Some learn on the job after starting with non-verbal or high-support pupils.

4. The GTCS requires inclusive practice during probation. But there is no national requirement for ASN input.
Some councils offer sessions. Others offer nothing. Teachers often rely on trial and error or ask PSAs for advice.

3. Audit Scotland confirmed the gap:
“Teachers are not consistently well prepared to support pupils with ASN.”
77% of EIS members said they had no meaningful ASN training during ITE. 89% felt underprepared.

2. Many students receive just one lecture on ASN. Some say it was entirely legal background.
Few ITE courses offer practical content. No course requires ASN-specific placements. Most do not involve autistic or neurodivergent voices at all.

1. GTCS and government policy claim that ASN and inclusion are built into all teacher education.
But universities give vague, general statements with little detail on autism, ADHD, trauma, or practical support strategies.

We’re not asking the system to make space for parents. We’re showing that the space already belongs to them. Inclusion starts by recognising the knowledge they bring and building policy and practice around it.

Our CPD events change that. Parents lead. Teachers listen, ask, learn. The insights shared are personal, practical and grounded in lived experience. This isn’t theory. It’s what’s actually working for real children.

But many parents of neurodivergent children in Scotland say they’re sidelined. Meetings held without them. Expertise dismissed. Constant battles to be heard. This isn’t inclusion. It’s obstruction.

Scotland’s own guidance is clear: “parents, carers and families are by far the most important influences in a child’s life” and “when parents and schools work together, children do better.” (Scottish Government, 2018)

International research backs this: when teachers partner with parents, pupil outcomes improve. Behaviour, academic progress, confidence, attendance, emotional regulation – all benefit. (Harris & Goodall, 2007)

Too often, parents are treated as passive participants in the system. Yet they are the ones who notice patterns, advocate for adjustments, and understand what helps or harms their child across every setting.