Neurodivergent children and young people experience disproportionately high levels of mental health difficulties, but current support often fails to meet their needs, a new briefing Strengths-based support for neurodivergent children and young people finds.
The briefing from Centre for Mental Health summarises recent research from the University of York and explains why many neurodivergent children and young people experience high levels of distress and describes what support should look like.
Up to 70 per cent of neurodivergent children and young people experience significant mental health problems at some stage of school, with particularly high prevalence among autistic girls and young people from racialised communities.
The briefing states that mental health support for neurodivergent children and young people should be seen as a reasonable adjustment, not a treatment for difference, and argues for a system that recognises neurodivergent strengths, reduces barriers and provides support that represents the realities of children and young people’s lives. For example, Play-brick therapy can help neurodivergent children to communicate their feelings and research shows benefits including improved social skills, reduced isolation and better emotional regulation.
The briefing is published as the Government consults on SEND reform as part of the Schools White Paper 2026, and conducts its independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism.
The briefing calls for mental health services to adapt to neurodivergent communication and sensory needs, rather than expecting children and young people to adapt to services.
Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health, said: “Neurodivergent children and young people deserve equitable access to mental health support that meets their needs. Mental health services need to adapt to neurodivergent children’s communication styles rather than expecting children to adjust to them. And neurodivergence should never be a reason to exclude a child from a mental health service. The research we have reviewed from the University of York demonstrates that by following the available evidence, mental health support for neurodivergent children and young people can be effective and make a difference.”
Bernadka Dubicka, Chair of child and adolescent psychiatry, Hull York Medical School said “This briefing highlights the significant mental health needs of children and young people who are neurodivergent, and who could benefit from these evidence-based adaptations and interventions. However, support cannot be offered if needs are not recognised – far too many neurodivergent children and young people are either languishing on waiting lists for diagnostic assessments, or are not even identified as needing assessment, until they fall into crisis. There is an urgent need to not only to scale up the level of adaptation provided in education and mental health services, but also to put in place systems to identify the needs of neurodivergent children early, so they are not set up to fail in an unsupported secondary education environment.”
