A neuroaffirming approach in Scotland

Dr Claire Stark, Chair of the British Psychological Society's Division of Clinical Psychology Scotland; Dr Phil Quinn, Chair of the Division of Counselling Psychology Scotland; and Dr Alison Clark, Division of Clinical Psychology Scotland policy lead.

As the British Psychological Society prepares its response to the Scottish Government consultation on the Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill, we'll be ensuring the Scottish Government and Parliamentarians hear the voice of psychologists on where we see things now; and crucially, further change we want to see in services and support for people with neurodivergence in Scotland. This includes:

Co-production and early intervention are key: The most effective models of support are based on early intervention, where public and third sector work alongside those with lived experience in developing and delivering services. Co-production should be at the heart of services and support for people with neurodivergence.

Increased post-diagnosis support in adulthood: Many people who get a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD in adulthood often have a diagnosis then discharge from services. A better future would see increased NHS and third-sector services providing high-quality post-diagnostic support.

We welcome the increased funding for diagnostic neurodevelopmental services, but still more is needed to meet demand. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) currently has a workstream around this to upskill the existing workforce, which is both very welcome and timely.

Increased pre-diagnosis support: With the demand and need for support far exceeding the capacity of diagnostic services currently in place, moving away from the perception that support is diagnostic-dependent will be the only way to sustain demand in our population. The support made available should not be dependent on someone having received a diagnosis.

The diagnostic criteria needed to access services can put a significant barrier in place to access for those who need it, exacerbated by the fact that diagnostic services do not have the capacity to meet current diagnostic demand. We are acutely aware of the significant impact not being able to access support can have on clients' wellbeing and that of their families and carers.

A joined-up approach: Comparable funding should be made available for assessment and diagnosis so that the increased demand brought about by awareness campaigns is met clinically on the ground. There is a great opportunity here for cross-function collaboration, both internally between NHS services and externally with third-sector organisations.

Continuing to share lessons learned: The National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT), for example, is proving a great source of training, resources, guidance and networking in Scotland. Working in partnership with neurodivergent people to inform all actions, its activities include facilitating evidence-based actions in the areas of education and inclusive practice; assessment and diagnosis for children, young people and adults; implementing neurodevelopmental pathways; and employment.

The move to a neuroaffirming society is vital for acknowledging the needs of other populations as well. Past services focused primarily on Autism and/or Learning Disability, but there is now – and rightly so – more attention and recognition given to the many other neurodivergent presentations too. We welcome the move towards seeing neurodivergence not as a 'disability', but adopting a neuroaffirming approach – a strengths and rights-based approach, to embracing neuro-developmental differences.