A UK-wide survey by the charity Ambitious About Autism has found that 16.2% of autistic children and young people have not attended school at all since September. The poll, which gathered views from nearly 1,000 families and students, highlights a growing crisis in education.

Among those who missed school, 62% said their absence was due to mental health struggles, while 30% were too physically unwell to attend. Additionally, one in five respondents said their current school could not meet their needs, and 45% felt the government was blaming them for their absence.

These findings arrived as the government prepared to reform the system for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The new plan aims to improve support in local mainstream schools while acknowledging that some students will still require places at specialist centers.

Recent data from the Department for Education reveals the scale of the issue. Autistic pupils missed nearly 11% of their total school hours in 2024-25. Furthermore, more than 28% were labeled as persistently absent, meaning they missed at least one day of school every fortnight. By comparison, only 14% of children without special needs missed that much school.