'I found school life confusing - my autism diagnosis showed why'

Anna Higgins felt she never really fitted in at school.

She assumed the experience was confusing and overwhelming to everyone.

Only when she received an autism diagnosis in her 20s did she begin to appreciate her school days had been particularly challenging - making her aware she may have struggled to fulfil her potential.

To help others like her have a different experience, she is backing a charity's calls for autism awareness training to become mandatory in every school.

Ambitious about Autism said the step was needed to improve knowledge and acceptance of autism and would lead to greater inclusivity for autistic pupils.

The message came after it was revealed that thousands of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the country were absent from their place of learning every year. The government has announced major reforms around SEND.

Higgins, from Birmingham, who has a youth advisor role with the London charity, said: "Just because you get good grades and you have friends and that you seem happy on the outside, it doesn't mean that you're reaching your full potential.

"Some people might need more support to do certain things but that's OK and that they shouldn't be made to feel bad for that."

Although not physically absent during her schooldays, she said she struggled and often felt she "didn't fit in".

"I kind of assumed that everyone was the same," she said. "It's not until I was diagnosed a few years ago [that], kind of, in hindsight, I realised that I did have a lot of social anxiety.

"I found the school environment very overwhelming and very loud as soon as I was ... away from my friends.

"I think that was when I started to feel that maybe I didn't fit it and that I didn't really understand what was going on around me."

Higgins went on to complete a masters degree in zoology and is now looking for work.

Billions of pounds are planned to be spent on making mainstream schools more inclusive, according to the government, including £1.6bn going directly to schools, early years settings and colleges over three years.

Part of the new funding also includes £200m to make every teacher qualified to support pupils with SEND, in what the government calls the biggest SEND training offer ever seen in English schools.

Ambitious about Autism's chief executive Jolanta Lasota said she was concerned that the time frame to deliver the improvements was "too tight".

She added she was also concerned the resources needed to achieve them were "not currently available".

"If the government wants to ensure autistic pupils are not just attending school, but thriving when they are there, it is essential it listens to their ideas and concerns as well as those of their families," Lasota said.

"We also think that mandatory autism-specific training for all school staff would improve knowledge and acceptance of autism across the whole school community."

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