Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group
The group provides advice and recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.
Neurodivergent is a term that describes a group of people whose ways of processing information, behaving, and experiencing their environment differ from the statistical majority.
Purpose
To make recommendations to DfE ministers on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream settings.
The group will consider:
- how classroom practices and wider approaches could better meet neurodivergent children and young people’s needs
- the presentation of overlapping and co-occurring needs (when different conditions occur together or have similar types of need) and how to support these
- the types of support that should not depend on a diagnosis
- provide a shared understanding about what provision and support should look like, informing classroom practices and wider approaches
- best practice regarding the commissioning of support services across education and health
- how to effectively deliver educational support for neurodivergent children and young people locally, regionally and nationally; and how that support can properly consider long-term ability to be successful and independent in future life as well as short-term support and adjustments
Membership
The current members are:
- Professor Karen Guldberg, Head of the School of Education and Professor of Autism Studies and former Director of the Autism Centre for Education and Research at the University of Birmingham (Chair)
- Heba Al-Jayoosi - Assistant Headteacher and SENCO at Mayflower Primary School
- Professor Duncan Astle - Gnodde Goldman Sachs Professor of Neuroinformatics in the Department of Psychiatry, and a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University
- Dr Jo Bromley - Service Lead and Consultant Clinical Psychologist for the Clinical Service for Children with Disabilities, CAMHS at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Ellen Broomé - CEO of the British Dyslexia Association
- Zoe Burlison - Inclusion Lead at The Ruth Gorse Academy in Leeds
- Dr James Cusack - Chair of Embracing Complexity and CEO of Autistica
- Hayden Ginns - Assistant Director for Children (performance and commissioning) across Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth Integrated Care Board places (NHS)
- Adam Micklethwaite - Director of the Autism Alliance
- Professor Mark Mon-Williams - Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Leeds, Professor of Psychology at the Bradford Institute of Health and Director of Centre for Applied Education Research, Professor of Paediatric Vision at The Norwegian Centre for Vision
- Tim Nicholls - Assistant Director of Policy, Research and Strategy at National Autistic Society
- Anita Thapar - Professor of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience at University of Cardiff, Chair of the ADHD Taskforce
Terms of reference
These give more detail on:
- the background to the group
- how the group works
- who the group works with
Meeting dates and frequency
The group meets monthly from December 2024 until June 2025.
Output
The group will publish a report with recommendations in June 2025.