Neurodivergent People: Employment

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Tuesday 9th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

It a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire (Charlotte Cane) for securing this important and timely debate and for her excellent speech.

As vice-chair of the f40 group, I know how vital fair funding is for education. Today, I want to highlight the importance of supporting neurodivergent people into employment, as not only a moral imperative, but an economic one. We need to harness the unique capabilities of neurodivergent young people, who with the right support and adjustments can and do thrive in the workplace. I would count in that number my own stepdaughter, Madelaine, who is working two jobs while studying at the University of Southampton. The Liberal Democrats are clear: every child with autism, dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions deserves the chance to thrive in school and move confidently into work.

One of the greatest barriers to neurodivergent young people entering employment is the crisis in our SEND system. It is broken, underfunded and adversarial. In Somerset, that problem is magnified. The average student in Somerset receives over £4,000 less in dedicated schools grant funding than the best-funded authority. The impact of that underfunding is clear: schools cannot provide the early intervention services that children need, and support is limited to only the most complex cases. Families are forced to wait months, sometimes years, for autism assessments and an EHCP.

Like the SEND system, the EHCP process is horribly adversarial, pitting parents, schools and councils against one another. Teachers want to help, but often lack both the training and the resources to provide tailored support. A one-size-fits-all model does not work. Neurodivergent students must be able to attend the right setting post 16 if they are to thrive, build confidence and prepare for meaningful employment.

When young people reach the workplace, barriers remain. James from Glastonbury has autism. He told me of the distinct lack of autism-friendly jobs in our area. He seeks low-skilled, part-time work to support his mental health and build towards his career goal, but such opportunities are scarce. Stephen from Langport shared how his grandchildren were failed by the system. One never received the assessments needed in school, and got a private dyslexia diagnosis only at 16. Stephen himself, a design engineer, worked with colleagues of immense skill who had been underestimated by the education system.

Stephen’s story is a reminder that we are wasting the skills of so many children simply because they do not fit that rigid model. Nationally, only 30% of autistic people are in work, compared with 55% of all disabled people. Autistic graduates are the least likely to be in full-time work. Early intervention hubs in schools are welcome, but they must be properly scaled and resourced. Access to Work must be fixed. Delays and reduced support are undermining inclusion.

The Liberal Democrats are committed to long-term adjustments, reducing waiting times for diagnosis, streamlining NHS processes, training teachers properly and ensuring that SENCOs have the authority and time they need. If we continue to fail neurodivergent children in education, we will fail them in employment. We are not just letting down individuals and families; we are holding back our economy and our society.