Meeting of the Parliament 01 April 2025
I congratulate my colleague Daniel Johnson on securing this members’ business debate, and I thank him for his continued openness on this issue. I, too, feel deeply passionate about it, because it also affects me and my family. Ultimately, it is about how society is run, because it cuts across everything, from education and healthcare to employment and justice. Right now, neurodivergent people feel that they are being let down everywhere, in all of it. I want to tell them that I see it and that I validate them and their experience.
Around 84 per cent of autistic adults are unemployed, despite so many of them wanting to work, and nearly 66 per cent have contemplated suicide. People are waiting for years for a diagnosis and, in some areas, local authorities, health boards and integration joint boards have paused referrals. I agree that it is a crisis. Those are not abstract numbers—they are people’s lives. They are people I represent, people I know and people who email me every single week. In fact, it is the top issue on which I receive correspondence.
In my various roles as a local councillor, an MSP and convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, and as a mum and a neurodivergent woman, I have seen and heard many devastating stories. There are women who have spent decades without a diagnosis, dismissed or misdiagnosed, and who are completely burnt out; there are families who are stuck in cycles of poverty because they cannot access suitable work; and there are young people who are overwhelmed by a system that was never designed for them in the first place. We often hear people say, “School just wasn’t for them,” but it should be—we should create an environment for them.
I was disappointed that the proposed LDAN bill was not included in the most recent programme for government, but I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has a continued commitment to publish that draft legislation. I can tell members today that I know that the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, is genuine in her care for that work and the people it impacts. I know that from the conversations that I have had with her, and I am grateful for it.
I believe that there are things that we can do now. We can embed understanding of neurodivergence across public services, ensuring that every GP, teacher and social worker is equipped with the training to recognise and support neurodivergent people. We can create clear national diagnostic pathways with self-referral options, and we can accept private diagnoses though the national health service from those who have felt the urgent need to pay for a diagnosis themselves.
We can begin early screening where neurodivergence might be masked, especially when people present with addiction, eating disorders, anxiety or chronic fatigue, because those are often the red flags. If we embed that thinking in our systems, we can intervene earlier and more effectively. We can improve the school experience by increasing the number of ASN teachers and adopting neuro-affirming approaches, along with quiet spaces, flexible transitions and reduced sensory load. Those things do not require new legislation; they simply require compassion and leadership.
We can challenge employers to build inclusive workplaces. We know that, in our justice system, a high proportion of people in custody are neurodivergent, and that is why we must act at the point of entry by signposting individuals for a neurodivergence assessment. Doing so could open up a pathway to not just support but true rehabilitation.
None of that needs to wait for a bill, but a bill can provide the backbone to sustain and scale that change. It can put rights on a statutory footing and help us to track and close the gaps. It is not about battling neurodivergence, but about building a society that welcomes it with all its potential.
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