← The Neurodivergent Experience
The Neurodivergent Experience
Hot Topic: Are Schools Really Supporting Autistic Children — Or Just Moving Them Aside?
00:17:00
Loading summary
Transcript78 lines
- [00:00]
Sleep Number Announcer
Why Choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed Can I make my site softer?
- [00:04]
Host 1
Can I make my site firmer?
- [00:05]
Host 2
Can we sleep cooler?
- [00:07]
Sleep Number Announcer
Sleep Number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your Sleep number setting. Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. And now during our President's day sale, take 50% off our limited edition bed shop now for a limited time only at a Sleep number store or sleepnumber.com.
- [00:30]
Grow Therapy Advertiser
There are a million reasons people start therapy. A breakup, Burnout, A new job. Whatever your reason, there is one place to start. Grow Therapy meets you where you are with support that actually sticks. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. They connect you with thousands of independent licensed therapists across the US all offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters like insurance, specialty, identity or availability and get started in as little as two days. And if something comes up, you can Cancel up to 24 hours in advance at no cost. There are no subscriptions, no long term commitments, you just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. Whatever challenges you're facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. So Sessions average about $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Visit GrowTherapy.com StartNow today to get started. That's GrowTherapy.com StartNow GrowTherapy.com StartNow Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.
- [01:53]
Host 2
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [02:01]
Kristi Lee
If you think of Canada as polite and boring, think again. From the Toronto Crossbow Killer to the trial of Canadian Idol's Jacob Hoggard to the serial killer pig farmer, Canadian True Crime will immerse you in the human stories behind the shocking headlines from your neighbours to the north. Hi, I'm Kristi Lee. Over 200 episodes and 75 million downloads, I've taken listeners through some of the most disturbing crime stories from the country I call home. Join me Find Canadian True Crime wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:36]
Host 2
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.
- [02:46]
Host 1
Oh hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot. Hello and welcome to the Neuro Spicy News.
- [03:06]
Grow Therapy Advertiser
Hot.
- [03:09]
Host 2
T O P I C. It's a hot topic. I can spell.
- [03:16]
Host 1
Anything. What we were for everyone Listening. Just before we started, we had a whole thing planned. He was gonna sing I Believe in Miracles by Hot Chocolate. And somehow this. I don't even know what that was, but I love you and accept you.
- [03:33]
Host 2
It was.
- [03:33]
Host 1
Chuckle.
- [03:34]
Host 2
Roan literally came into my head. I was panicking and I was like, oh, I've forgotten the thing already. But leaving news stories. Where you from? The Internet. The Internet, yeah.
- [03:46]
Host 1
Yeah. Okay. Anyway, sorry, Today's. Today's Hot Topic is, to be honest, there was a few that we could have done and a lot of them do just involve, like, right to choose. Right to choose. And. And I wanted to bring this up very, very quickly. There is a problem with right to choose. A lot of doctors are having issues because local councils are literally stopping them. They're putting a cap on the spending. I know from speaking to RTN that in Manchester, they've put a cap on the spending. They are. People are not getting the help they need. It's a terrible thing. Please go and have a look at the news stories. Go and look it up and write to your local MPs. Challenge this. Go on. ADHD UK, they've got a challenge against it. It's disgusting. They're basically saying, we aren't worth the money. Helping us is not worth the money. And it's not. Okay, but let's. Let's be. And I. I say. I say this with trepidation. Let's go for a happier one. But I already know that there's something that's annoyed me about this. But we'll get into it. Oh, come on. If. If I. It wouldn't be Hot Topic if I didn't get a little bit annoyed.
- [05:03]
Host 2
Yeah, that is. That is true. It's not a legit, like, imagine if you listen to one of you. Like, I'm fine with all of this. Like, well, I think we'll finish the show there.
- [05:12]
Host 1
I genuinely believe that people listen just to hear me rant. It's like, oh, what grinds his gears today?
- [05:19]
Host 2
What's made him mad now?
- [05:21]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah. Just because everyone out there is just agreeing with how angry I am. Just. Yeah, I'm pissed off about it too.
- [05:27]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [05:27]
Host 1
Anyway, school set to open special units for autistic pupils. I. I don't know. The ADHD pupils don't get involved in this. But again, I'm already.
- [05:40]
Host 2
Hands against the window, like, let me in.
- [05:43]
Host 1
Yeah, I want to come in. But anyway, keep positive. Keep on.
- [05:47]
Host 2
Yes, positive. Here we go. Smiling my voice. Here's the story.
- [05:50]
Host 1
So this is from the BBC News and it was literally 28th of January, so, you know, yesterday. Yesterday as of recording, not as of listening. Don't think that you're time is an illusion.
- [06:06]
Host 2
Yeah. Yes.
- [06:07]
Host 1
That's great. Do you want to read the article?
- [06:10]
Host 2
No, but I will.
- [06:11]
Host 1
Okay, we'll get, we'll get, we'll get to the point where I just like. Ah, yes, right back on.
- [06:17]
Host 2
It's coming. Here we go. A primary. Sorry, a primary school is planning to open a specialist unit for autistic children amid a growing shortage of local special need places. Surrey County Council's cabinet member for children, Jonathan Holly, signed off the proposal for St. Paul's Church of England Primary School in Tongham, which is a place I've never heard of. Cool. Does it even exist? Maybe we're angry about that. The school is in line to get a dedicated classroom for up to 25 pupils aged 4 to 11 from September 2026.
- [06:50]
Host 1
That's where I will stop you.
- [06:52]
Host 2
And here we go, everybody buckle up.
- [06:54]
Host 1
Look, I, I, we haven't read the rest of the article, so I, I'm, I'm waiting for them to explain why it is that chucking all of. And I do believe it's like chucking all the autistic children. So you're autistic. Like they're all the same.
- [07:10]
Host 2
Get in there.
- [07:11]
Host 1
They're all the same type of autistic. They're all the same disabled by being autistic. They're just autistic. It's like, oh, you know, like ginger hair. Just get in there, get in, in there.
- [07:21]
Host 2
You.
- [07:23]
Host 1
And it's, and they've just gone from ages 4 to 11. So what are they teaching them? If there is a different criteria each year to teach someone, what are they teaching these children where there is seven years difference. Seven years. Like, are they just saying, are they just chucking them all in there? And I say this because I hope it's not true, but it does seem like it's true. It seems like they're just getting them out of the classroom and they're getting them away from the neurotypicals. Like they're causing a problem. And this feels like a classroom set up almost like a prison. Like, let's just get them out of the way and then we can carry on with the proper learning.
- [08:13]
Host 2
Now all the classrooms have bars on the windows. It's not just these.
- [08:16]
Host 1
Yeah. Anyway, let's carry on. But if anybody disagrees with me, please put that in the comments because that's how I'm seeing it. Because I am telling you now that, that is the feedback that I have gotten from so many send teachers, so many head teachers, so many parents. And remember, I've been doing this for six years. I do school talks, I work with senior, I've done training, I've done talks. I know this from the inside. I've had my kids at school, I know this from the inside. And to me, with all my experience and knowledge, it just feels like they're just getting them out of the way, but they're acting like they're doing a really great thing. But let's, let's carry on, let's see, let's see if I'm right or wrong.
- [09:05]
Host 2
So. The Surrey County Council's cabinet member for children said the plan addresses rising demand. It reduces, reduces the resilience on independent school provision and it supports local education. All pupils placed in the unit would have an education, health and care plan and EHCP confirming they need that level of provision. The plans would not reduce mainstream places at the school where a temporary class for autistic children is already operating. Council figures show Surrey's existing specialist provision is 92% occupied without new local spaces. The local authority said it would rely on independent schools where one annual place could cost over 50,000 pounds per child. A place in a council run specialist setting costs around 23,000 a year, according to the Local Democracy Reports service. So are they lumping them together because it's cheap?
- [09:59]
Host 1
To be honest, it just seems like it's all of it. It's like, well, it's, it's, it's. First of all, there aren't enough special schools.
- [10:09]
Host 2
No, there aren't. No.
- [10:10]
Host 1
And I, and I don't feel that being autistic is a reason to end up, or being neurodivergent in general is a reason to end up in a special school because like I said, we're all bloody different. So it really just depends. But I would hope that if there is special schools that they're not just lumped in together like they are in this classroom. Now, I've, I have visited special schools. I've, I've done talks at special schools. I've done teacher training at special schools. I'm never impressed. Like, they act like there's some sort of like, above reprimanding, like they, they, they're, they're so great because, you know, we, we take the kids that no one else wants. We're obviously doing a great thing.
- [10:57]
Host 2
Bit of a savior complex.
- [10:59]
Host 1
Oh, that, that exact thing, yeah. I couldn't think of the word they, they do act like they' these children. And from what I thought, there's a lot of infantilizing going on within the schools. There's, there's definitely a lot of lumping in. And one experience I had, this was like five years ago and I did not see this coming. So I visited the school. I was being shown around there by the head teacher. He was a lovely, lovely guy and he was showing me all the differences and he wanted me to do a talk for, for the kids. And he said, oh, if you do a talk, just don't mention that you're adhd because we tell the kids that ADHD doesn't exist in adults. And I went, what? Sorry, why, why would you tell them that? And he said, oh, latest research shows that people can grow out of it. And I went, where have you done this research? And he says, oh, I've done research. And I literally in front of him googled it and it said, the latest research that says this is completely unfounded and doesn't have any peer reviews, it is just opinions. And I said this to him and he was like, well, you know, we just agree to disagree. And I went, well, I disagree in doing a talk where I'm saying adhd, you grow out of it and you should not be teaching these kids. And there was hundreds of them. They literally teach them that they will grow out of adhd.
- [12:23]
Host 2
It's like conversion therapy language. It's not okay.
- [12:26]
Host 1
Literally. No, no, it was disgusting. It was absolutely disgusting. And I wrote email emails complaining and I, I actively went out of my way to, to try to fix this problem because I was so enraged but, and, and shocked by it, taken about by because the guy was really lovely.
- [12:42]
Host 2
The school, they always are, unfortunately.
- [12:45]
Host 1
Yeah, it kind of felt like, oh, you know that serial killer that's killed like 17 kids the other day, that's my next door neighbor, Terry. He was the loveliest.
- [12:53]
Host 2
Oh, he made a great cake.
- [12:55]
Host 1
I'm just choking on my own spit. He was the loveliest guy. You know, he was so friendly with my kids. It's like, yeah, but he murdered 17. Yeah. I like to this day I have no idea what happened with that. It's literally local to me. So I was really hoping to build.
- [13:10]
Host 2
A really good relationship that's so doing.
- [13:12]
Host 1
Regular things with them, I could really, really help them. But they literally, as soon as I was like, well, no, I'm not, I'm not going to tell kids that they grab ADHD because they don't. Because I literally am an adult with adhd. And they were like, well, then I don't think you can do a talk. So they denied those kids me helping them and motivating them, because I used to do this all. I don't do this now that often. I'm too drained from it. But I love, love doing talks at schools. I love working with kids because kids, like, they, they listen to you and they need it. They need.
- [13:51]
Host 2
They need adult representation.
- [13:53]
Host 1
Feel better. Yeah, they just feel better when there's a guy standing there and I'm showing them all my photography and I'm saying about how awesome it is being neurodivergent and, and getting everybody in the whole assembly to all do stimming. Everyone stimming. The teachers were stimming. I used to love it. I used to bring Pooh Bear and say how like, Pooh Bear is not like autism. You can't carry autism around. So we are autistic, we don't have autism. I love doing that. Like, if somebody asked me to do a school tomorrow, I'd probably go and do it because I just love teaching these kids that they're not diseased or their classmate who is neurodivergent. There's nothing wrong with them and it's great to support them. They could have had all of that, but this school decided to just be like, well, we're not interested in what you're saying because you don't agree that ADHD disappears when you're in adults. Because it fucking doesn't. And I was not going to back down.
- [14:50]
Host 2
No, neither should you, really.
- [14:53]
Host 1
You know, But I got Tegrade. I'm always good. So knowing what these schools are like, I, I just, I think that this is what I said, it's just hiding these kids away, whether it's in special schools. And special schools are great if they're great, but they're not always great. And then this whole thing is all put. All pupils placed in the unit would have an educational health care plan confirming they need that level of provision. Right. Have you. I don't know if you know this, but we have done this a million times before. It's not easy to get an ehcp. It's not easy. So they're saying that not only they are only going to take autistic children, and it's not just autistic children that need special schools, but only autistic children who have an ehcp. And it's like, it's not like after your assessment, you get given the ehcp at the end of it, like a certificate, you then you get the assessment, you get a diagnosis, and then you could be fighting for years to get the ehcp. And then even when you get the ehcp, is it the correct one? Is it the one that actually gives that child its needs? Because every child is different. I could be rambling on about this for hours because these are children. These are our future. And neurodivergent children. They have so much potential. They have, they. We are an incredible branch of human evolution. Not, not the next stage of human evolution. That's horseshit. That's not how this works. We are a branch of it. We are not a different species, a different variation of the same species. We have the brains and the way that we learn things to, to do amazing things. Some of us, not some of us. Yes, but they're basically saying, well, you're all the same.
- [17:02]
Host 2
In you go.
- [17:03]
Host 1
In you go. They could be chucking a kid into this autism prison. That, that could potentially be the next freaking Bill Gates. You just, you just don't know.
- [17:16]
Host 2
And if you're, if you're an 11 year old with 4 year olds, you are gonna feel infantilized, aren't you?
- [17:21]
Host 1
Completely infantilized.
- [17:23]
Host 2
Yeah. This is a fascination. So why the.
- [17:25]
Host 1
Are 4 year old autistic children going to school?
- [17:29]
Host 2
Yeah, do you know what? There's, there's, there's, yeah, there's a, there's a lot to go on here.
- [17:33]
Host 1
I would just quick say, on one hand they'll tell you autism is a developmental disability and then on the other hand they make a developmentally disabled child do the same things as a neurotypical child. They say, okay, you're developmentally disabled. And in a sense that is true. Like everyone's different, but in a sense that is true. But then they don't treat us like that because at 4, if what they're saying is true and via the synaptic pruning process, depending on the child. Yeah, this can be true for a lot of kids. At the age of four, they might literally have the brain of a fucking two year old.
- [18:09]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [18:10]
Host 1
So they shouldn't be at school. So surely it should just be based on an individual child rather than the child's age. Okay, rant over.
- [18:18]
Host 2
Right. And with that we're going to wrap up here. Let us know your thoughts on this. Do you agree with us? I'm really interested to hear other people's opinions. If you're following us on Jordan's page, on Facebook or on Spotify, hit us in the comments. I'm fascinated to know, but this has been your week's hot topic. We will be back next Thursday with our hundredth episode of the main show. Blimey. So Ashley will be with you for Mindful Mondays. As always, really intrigued to hear what you have to think about this folks. Take care of yourself. Be safe out there nightly.
- [18:48]
Host 1
Bye.
- [18:52]
Host 2
Thanks for tuning in to the neurodivergent Experience. We hope today's episode sparks something for you. Whether it's a new idea, a bit of validation, or just a moment of connection. Remember, new episodes are every week, so be sure to join us for the next one for more conversations and insights into the neurodivergent Experience. If you've enjoyed this podcast, help us grow. You can do that by rating and reviewing this show. Your support makes a huge difference in helping us reach more people who could benefit from these kinds of conversations. You can connect with us on social media, find us on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok. Just search for the neurodivergent Experience. Thank you again for listening and until next time, take care of yourself. You're not alone in this journey.
- [19:50]
Sleep Number Announcer
Why choose a Sleep Number? Smart Bed? Can I make my site softer?
- [19:53]
Host 1
Can I make my site firmer?
- [19:55]
Host 2
Can we sleep cooler?
- [19:57]
Sleep Number Announcer
Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your Sleep number setting. Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. And now during our President's day sale, take 50% off our limited edition bed Shop now for a limited time only at a Sleep number store or sleepnumber.com.
- [20:21]
Host 2
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [20:29]
Kristi Lee
If you think of Canada as polite and boring, think again. From the Toronto Crossbow Killer to the trial of Canadian idols Jacob Hoggard to the serial killer pig Farmer, Canadian True Crime will immerse you in the human stories behind the shocking headlines from your neighbours to the north. I'm Kristi Lee. Over 200 episodes and 75 million downloads. I've taken listeners through some of the most disturbing crime stories from the country I call home. Join me Find Canadian True Crime wherever you get your podcasts.
- [21:05]
Host 2
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acest. Com.