Work to improve autism awareness among trainee teachers in Scotland will be “life-changing”. That’s the view of Nick Ward, director of the National Autistic Society (NAS) in Scotland. The Scottish Government announced the move in a newly published action plan....

Seclusion and restraint must be better regulated in schools. That’s the view of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), in Northern Ireland. BASW policy officer Andy McClengahan has made the case for better regulation to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s...

Health officials have apologised for a botched investigation into the death of autistic teen Oliver McGowan. Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) says it is “deeply sorry” for the failings of a Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) into Oliver’s death. Oliver, 18, had autism, epilepsy, a learning disability and cerebral palsy. He suffered an allergic reaction to antipsychotic medication at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital. His brain swelled so much it began to come out of the base of his skull before he died in November 2016. Parents Paula and Tom McGowan insist both they and Oliver himself warned medics  that he was allergic to antipsychotics. They asked in vain...

Autistic people surviving on highly restricted diets may become vulnerable to scurvy and eye disorders. New work led by dietician Summer Yule found severe nutritional deficiencies in narrow diets can leave people with a range of health problems. Yule’s work...

Learning disabled people are dying at a “shocking” rate from coronavirus. That’s the view of Dan Scorer, Mencap’s policy head. Scorer made the comments after a report showed that the virus killed almost 80 per cent of a sample of people...

The mother of a young boy with autism says his primary school forced him to stay in a small room alone with her and a teaching assistant for nearly two months. Stacey Jackson, 30, from West Lothian, Scotland, says son...

A Sheffield boy with special educational needs has missed out on much of his senior schooling because the city council did not provide suitable alternative education for him. That’s the official finding of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman....

Supermarkets must do more to ensure people with learning disabilities and autism get food during the new lockdown. That’s the view of Tim Nicholls, who is policy head at the National Autistic Society (NAS). Nicholls says lockdown has a “disproportionate...

An education authority is breaking the law with statements of special educational needs (SEN) that fail to give firm commitments to children’s services. That’s the view of Belfast children’s rights lawyer Nicholas Quinn. Quinn accuses the Northern Ireland Education Authority...

A carer is hoping to take her fight for extra support to the Court of Appeal. The single mum, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has four special needs children aged between nine and 19. The mother, from Greater Manchester,...