It’s clear to me that the affective aspects of neurodiversity and specific educational needs overlap with mental health. For example, children and young people may express or repress chronic or acute levels of frustration or anger when they feel that they are unable to move forwards in their education, or make themselves understood. Over time, their self-esteem and engagement with learning are likely to drop away; not only does this impact their educational outcomes, but also their social development and social sense of 'belonging'.

Tech companies such as Microsoft have worked really hard to make their platform accessible to users with special needs, specific needs, sensory needs and disabilities. Many people using the modifications that are now available have benefited hugely - but, in schools, teachers might not feel comfortable with their students advocating for themselves using some of these work-arounds. This is because the online world is an unregulated space.

This complex topic is not well-supported by nuanced educational research. Findings from medium to large data sets provide mixed messaging and contradictions. It is unsurprising that aggregating information from different contexts with the aim of detecting patterns of human behaviour on screens is somewhat reductive. We need rich narratives that shine a light on the lived experiences of children, their families and communities, right across society.

A recent UNESCO report: 'Screen Time and Learner Well-being: The Debate, the Evidence and Directions for Future Research and Policy' by Robin Sharma and colleagues presents four 'hypotheses'.

1. Displacement Hypothesis - screen time displaces other activities such as face-to-face socializing, exercising and sleeping, which are considered to be the most harmful effects of technology on well-being and health.

2. Rich-Get-Richer Hypothesis - is essentially describing a 'Matthew effect'. This is a very familiar concept to the education sector - based on the child’s access to privileges, which include the family social network and acquired social skills.

3. Social compensation hypothesis - this viewpoint considers that a socially anxious or socially isolated child or young person would benefit from online interactions.

4. Stimulation hypothesis - digital interactions are thought to extend and enhance communication with existing friends and benefit children’s social development for this reason.

Just as these four hypotheses indicate both positive and negative effects of using technology, the World Health Organization proposed that video games would provide an effective form of social distancing during the COVID-19 context, and yet also added “gaming disorder” as a classification in alongside behaviours related to addiction.

I talk about the effects of internet addiction on young people and their families in the video and discuss the rise in mental health issues in children and young people. The Children's Commissioner for England provides the data for the waiting lists in her most recent (March 2024) report in which 270,000 children and young people were waiting to receive support from CAMHS and of these 40,000 had been waiting for two years, for example, for a diagnosis of autism. It is very difficult for schools to provide appropriate levels of support without a diagnosis and unless these children are supported, they are held back socially and academically. This delay affects their well-being, bringing us full circle, back to the rising numbers of children with mental health issues. We must address this spiraling situation.

REFERENCE

Public Accounts Committee [PAC]. (2025). Support for children and young people with special educational needs. First Report of Session 2024–25, HC 353. https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/46238/documents/231788/default/

Enjoy this post? Part three is here!