Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to young girls with autism in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The large majority of pupils diagnosed with autism as their primary type of need are boys. There is ongoing research and awareness on the different presentation of autism traits according to gender and the late, under and misdiagnosis of girls and women. This gender imbalance is greater for autism than for any other primary type of need.

The department holds and funds the Universal SEND Services contract, which brings together SEND-specific continuing professional development and support for the school and further education workforce. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism. As part of the contract, the Autism Education Trust (AET) provide a range of training and support for staff on autism including a live 90 minute ‘making sense of autism’ training. The training covers topics such as understanding autism, reasonable adjustments for pupils and how to listen to and learn from the perspectives of autistic pupils. The AET offer also addresses autism in girls and helps education staff understand more about how autism may present differently in girls. Since the contract began in May 2022, over 185,000 professionals have received training from AET training partners.