Written evidence from Rhian Davies-De Souza (SEN 66)

Education Committee

Solving the SEND Crisis

My name is Rhian Davies-De Souza and I have a neurodivergent child with special educational needs (SEN) and an EHCP. She has learning difficulties, a visual impairment and autism. I love her very much and she has opened my eyes extraordinarily to SEN needs. I also work as an online counsellor with young people and often work with young people who are neurodivergent and suffering often seriously mentally and emotionally.

If inclusion is the way to solve the SEN crisis then a vital solution would be to mount a huge information campaign informing neurotypical people about neurodivergence. It’s much more than a difference in skin colour or a different culture as it’s a whole different way of being in the world. It’s also important to be aware that someone who is neurodivergent may also encounter difficulties that intermingle with difficulties related to neurodivergence such as racism and gender based prejudices.

If at the moment specialist provision can’t be increased in the form of specialist schools then I believe there needs to be more specialist groups within schools. I strongly believe neurodivergent young people need to be around other neurodivergent young people to ensure that they don’t feel other, that they don’t feel alienated. Kids with autiusm in particular often struggle with social skills so there needs to be faciliation for them to be together and learn together for them to understand that their way of learning is not odd.

Stimming is often seen as something strange or odd by neurotypical people but for someone autistic it helps them to regulate and feel safe in their lives. They need to be around people who deeply understand and respect this. I certainly didn’t understand until I had a chilld with autism.

An SEN curriculum could be created. Often neurodivergent have different skills like hyper focus and special interests. They can also be very creative or really good at one thing. A way of learning that supports these differences would be so valuable. I don’t know if my child will get GCSEs but it doesn’t mean she’s not a valuable human being with many skills and talents. She just needs support to discover these things. The people that support SEN kids in school at the moment are not well trained. There needs to be better pay and a qualification.

January 2025