Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how long on average a young person currently has to wait for a diagnosis for additional support needs (ASN).
Additional support needs, as defined under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) arise if a child or young person is, or is likely to be, unable without the provision of additional support to benefit from school education. An additional support need can be of short or long-term duration. Under the Act, education authorities are required to identify, provide for and to review the additional support needs of their pupils. Local authorities are supported to carry out their duties under the Act by the statutory Supporting Learners’ Code of Practice.
The Scottish Government does not collect data on the length of time taken to identify or diagnose a child or young person’s additional support need. Under the Act, a formal diagnosis is not required in order for support to be provided.