Neurodiversity Celebration Week champions inclusivity, celebrate difference and challenge ableism. It also serves as a crucial reminder to assess how we are supporting neurodivergent children and identify what needs to change, particularly when it comes to protecting their mental health.
It’s no secret that our mental health system is in crisis. Long waiting times, widening socioeconomic inequalities and a surge in the number of children being referred to mental health services mean a struggling system is under more pressure than ever, with barriers to access hitting neurodivergent children hard.
Neurodiversity takes many forms, research by Autistica reveals that 70% of autistic children alone experience a mental health condition, with 40% affected by more than one. Despite this, many neurodivergent children have been denied access to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) after being told that the service lacks the resources to support them, with only a third (32%) of parents of children with autism saying that CAMHS has improved their child’s mental health.
Access to mental health support for neurodivergent children isn’t just about the system’s capacity, it’s also about equality.
While some families can afford private treatment or are able to fight tooth and nail for their child to get the urgent treatment they need on the NHS, many more cannot afford the cost of treatment and are forced to join the queue and wait.
For others, social factors including ethnicity, gender and economic status affect the likelihood of neurodivergence going undiagnosed. This is in part due to knowledge gaps around the ways in which neurodivergence presents in children of different genders, ethnicities and backgrounds, as well as the challenges inherent in delivering joined-up care for children in a devolved social care system. Children inevitably fall through the cracks.
This has consequences. Research suggests that where the healthcare needs of neurodivergent children and young people are not met, they may grow up to have poorer health, lower educational attainment and poorer occupational outcomes compared to neurotypical children. For some neurodivergent conditions, research has also shown a high co-morbidity rate with mental health conditions such as anxiety. This has implications for “diagnostic overshadowing”, where a primary condition is identified, and other co-occurring conditions are overlooked.
Even where support is available, it often isn’t personalised or integrated, making it ill-suited to the specific needs of the individual. It’s clear that mental healthcare needs a reboot to meet the needs of this critically underserved group.
The need for inclusive solutions
Building a society where neurodivergent children are appropriately supported cannot be done with a one-size-fits-all approach. Inclusivity and adaptability must be at the heart of our response.
The solution starts with building a better understanding of how mental health and neurodivergence intersect in children. While neurodiversity and mental health issues are distinct, we know that conditions like autism often co-occur with physiological conditions and mental health disorders. Factors such as the psychological burden of ‘masking’ neurodivergent traits and the social stigmatisation of neurodivergence can exacerbate mental health challenges, which can affect daily functioning. By better understanding the needs of this group, we can deliver appropriate, individualised care which could significantly improve life outcomes.
We also need to empower schools to deliver deeper support. Educators are one of the first lines of defence when it comes to children’s mental health. While teachers and mental health support staff in schools do not carry sole responsibility for meeting the mental health needs of children, they are uniquely positioned to spot issues early and help reduce pressure on health services in the long term. Teachers often have established relationships with children and understand their needs in ways that other professionals might not. Providing training and early intervention tools to educators in schools is a vital first step to providing personalised, timely mental health support to neurodivergent children.
Individualised digital therapies, delivered at the right time, can also help but must be child-led and tailored to each child’s specific needs. Whilst interventions like CBT have a proven record of helping some children overcome mental health challenges, they are by no means a panacea for neurodivergent children. Empowering children with agency over how they learn about mental health, how they engage with interventions (for example, some may prefer digital as opposed to face-to-face support), and what kinds of help they’d like to experiment with as they grow up, helps to foster an inclusive, child-led approach to mental health care suited to each individual child. To make this a reality, more research into child-led therapies that work for different minds and at different times in their lives is desperately needed.
Mental health services have come a long way in recent years, but we must continue to work on developing systems and interventions that are inclusive, accessible and adaptable to all children. This week and beyond, let’s celebrate neurological differences by committing to creating a mental healthcare system that does not discriminate.
By Manjul Rathee, founder of BFB Labs
