My daughter Sophie has a two-year expressive and receptive language delay. She’s also suspected to be autistic and ADHD — like me. But because she’s kind, eager to please, bright, and well-behaved, her needs are being overlooked.

She masks constantly: copying peers, working hard to hide her confusion, and doing everything she can to blend in. She’s not disruptive — she’s drowning quietly. And the school can’t see it.

I’ve now been diagnosed as autistic and ADHD myself, and looking back, I know exactly how this plays out. I was the helpful one. The polite one. The child who sat quietly and smiled — and never truly understood what was going on in the classroom. I masked so well no one ever looked deeper.

We can’t let this keep happening.

Girls are being missed because we still look for autism, ADHD, and language needs through a boy-centred lens — based on behaviour, not hidden struggle. And by the time they’re noticed, it’s often too late.

🔴 We are asking the Department for Education to introduce 

Sophie’s Law, which would:

• Require all schools to receive mandatory training on female neurodivergence and masking
• Place a legal duty on schools to act on parental concerns and professional recommendations, even without a formal diagnosis
• Require earlier access to interventions (such as Speech and Language Therapy) based on need, not diagnostic labels
• Make it a national standard that children showing masking behaviours or subtle barriers to learning are assessed for SEN support — and recorded on the SEN register
• Prevent schools from using “wait and see” approaches when early red flags are raised

• If a biological parent has a confirmed diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or another neurodevelopmental condition, and they report similar traits or struggles in their child, this must trigger formal consideration by the school — including the right to assessment, early intervention, and placement on the SEN register where appropriate.

  Parental insight in neurodivergent families should be treated as a credible and vital form of evidence, not dismissed in the absence of a diagnosis.

Sophie is not just one girl. She represents thousands of girls whose struggles are invisible, because they don’t cause a scene.

They don’t need more patience — they need recognition.

They don’t need to fail — they need support.

And they don’t need to be ignored — they need Sophie’s Law.