guidance

A new report, ‘Neurodiversity in the criminal justice system: A review of evidence’, has urged the government to develop more coordinated and effective support for people with neurodivergent conditions in the criminal justice system (CJS).

A new report published today (21^st July) has found that most English Children’s Services Authorities operate a ‘one size fits all’ approach to disabled children and their families, creating a culture of ‘parent-carer blame’.

With the coronavirus pandemic came much uncertainty, and families caring for relatives who have learning disabilities lacked adequate guidance. 

Psychotherapist David O'Driscoll explores what post-pandemic grief support could look like for people with learning disabilities.

The Coronavirus 'lockdown' has meant that many people with learning disabilities lose vital social support.

The Coronavirus pandemic has brought a myriad of changes that impact people with learning disabilities and/or autism. From restrictions about exercising outside to changes in social care, here's a round up of some of the changes...

Lockdown on the spectrum: how autistic adults and families of children with the condition are coping with the coronavirus lockdown that has closed schools, slashed respite and limited access to the outdoors to one trip a day. Darren Devine highlights the experiences of one Scottish family facing struggles common to many during the lockdown.

'Not Fine in School' is a parent-led organisation that supports, informs, and empowers parents affected by school non-attendance. On behalf of the organisation, Fran Morgan writes for Learning Disability Today about why the education system is failing to give all children the same support to thrive.

Until a group of parents joined forces to change the law families could find themselves sidelined once a loved one with a learning disability turned eighteen, with social workers taking charge of key decisions. But here Darren Devine details how three families have fought to ensure parents continue to have a voice when their children become adults.

The head of health and safety at national learning disability charity United Response has won an industry award recognising her work to transform fire safety advice for people living at its registered care homes across England and Wales.

The parents of a pupil living with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sensory processing difficulties have successfully won a case against their child’s independent prep school, Ashdown House, for an unlawful discriminatory exclusion.

In 2016, the UK government launched a groundbreaking drive to reduce the use of psychotropic drugs for people with autism and learning disabilities. But recent figures show that while prescribing rates for antipsychotics have fallen since the campaign’s launch, antidepressants, hypnotics, and stimulants have all risen.

Child to parent violence is an often overlooked and stigmatised form of family violence. Here, Helen Bonnick, a consultant, speaker, and trainer, tells Learning Disability Today why this phenomenon is likely under-reported and how the whole family can access support.

For the first time, the government has pledged to work with the Office for National Statistics to include autistic spectrum conditions on the Labour Force Survey.