Right now in Scotland, children are waiting up to SIX YEARS for neurodevelopmental assessment and support.

Six years without Speech and Language Therapy.

Six years without Occupational Therapy.

Six years without appropriate educational support.

Six years during the most critical period of brain development.

By the time support arrives, childhood has already passed.

Families are left to fight alone while waiting lists grow. Children who are autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent are experiencing anxiety, school refusal, exclusion, eating difficulties, and mental health crises — not because of their neurodivergence, but because support is delayed.

This is not the fault of frontline clinicians. It is a structural failure of the current system within NHS Scotland,  local education authorities and the Scottish Government's failure to act.

Scotland has committed to children’s rights. But rights without timely access to support are meaningless.

We Demand:

✔ A maximum national waiting time for neurodevelopmental assessment

✔ Immediate access to interim support based on need — not diagnosis

✔ Emergency investment in SALT, OT, Dietetic and Paediatric staffing

✔ Transparent reporting of waiting times by region

✔ A shift from diagnosis-led to needs-led support

Neurodiverse children deserve support when they need it — not years later.

Childhood cannot be put on a waiting list.

Sign this petition and demand action now.