Published date:
Middletown Centre for Autism's Cross-Border Best Practice Day, “Can’t, Not Won’t – Reframing School Non-Attendance for Autistic Students” centred on an important reframe. For autistic students, non-attendance is rarely about refusal or disengagement from learning. It is a response to environments that no longer feel safe, predictable or manageable.
When distress is sustained, absence becomes a signal. It tells us something is not working.
Across the day, there was a focus on earlier understanding and proportionate response - on how systems and environments can reduce the need for distress-driven absence, rather than managing absence as an outcome. This is about system design and accountability, not about attributing responsibility to individual children or families.
Flexibility can be supportive when it is purposeful, individualised and connected to a clear understanding of need. But when reduced attendance is used as a way of managing system pressure rather than addressing the underlying causes of distress, there is a risk that responsibility shifts away from environments and onto students themselves.
The evidence shared reinforced that many autistic students, particularly girls, are ‘missing in school’ long before they are recorded as missing from school. By the time absence is formally recognised, distress is often already well established.
I have identified a concerning number of autistic students who are not engaged in any form of education and are currently invisible within and to the system.
As the Autism Reviewer, my focus is on system assurance: whether current arrangements identify risk early, respond proportionately, and support autistic children to remain connected to education in ways that respect their needs, autonomy and wellbeing.
The Middletown event demonstrated that there is no shortage of insight or evidence-informed practice. What is required now is consistency, leadership and a willingness to listen to what autistic children and young people are showing us.
Non-attendance should not be the end point.
It is information.
And how we respond to it matters.
NOTE:
Middletown's Cross Border Best Practice Day on January 22nd was at the CityNorth Hotel & Conference Centre, Meath.
This event brought together researchers and practitioners to compassionately explore supports for autistic young people who experience significant anxiety about attending school.
The focus was on building knowledge, challenging unhelpful narratives, and equipping educators with a neuro-affirming toolkit to support autistic children and young people in ways that respect their needs, autonomy, and wellbeing.