• Definitions, tests and questionnaires make it easier for boys to be diagnosed. This is because they ask for examples of behaviour that is more normal for boys.
• Also, girls get stronger messages about sitting still, being sociable, reading and writing. Boys get stronger messages about being physically active and good at maths.
• Transgender communities have fewer differences between male and female diagnosis rates.

• Definitions, tests and questionnaires make it easier for white people to be diagnosed. This is because they are based on things that are more usual for white people, such as the way we make eye contact and talk.
• It is also because teachers, psychologists and medics are already making too many snap judgements about people from non-white communities, such as Black people, Roma people, Asian people. They are often seeing white people as less ‘difficult’ and calmer, so they think if there is a difficulty, it must be medical, whereas for Black or Brown people they are assumed to be ‘bad’.

• Wealthy families can afford private diagnosis and are more likely to be diagnosed if they need to.
• Wealthy families can afford private tutors and private schools so their children are less likely to need help at school.
• Wealthy families are more likely to have time to help their children with homework and being organised. They are also more likely to jump in to resolve social and emotional difficulties.
• A family’s wealth makes a difference to how people get diagnosed and when

Good ones will also be approved by a peer review publication.

Useful for thinking about what to do next.

• Memory aids /strategies – little and often; rehearsal; recency and primacy issues, so structure key messages; mnemonics; visual imagery; internal aids; external memory aids – post-its, alarms, to-do lists etc. Chunking.
• Concentration techniques such as anchoring, visualisation and hunger / time of day, self-awareness

• Environmental aids such as signposts; labels; orientation boards; colour doors; wayfinding lines showing routes; use of daily routines.
• Errorless learning: break down tasks into smaller steps; build in opportunities for success; graded activities to ensure success.  Teaching functionally equivalent or functionally related skills.

• Simplify complex instructions and avoid abstract tasks.  Promote learning by doing. Repeat if needed.
• Practice role play conversations that come up frequently; develop exercises to assist offenders during questioning. This might include supporting them to self-advocate with comments such as “sorry I can’t process that all at once, can you ask me just one question at a time?”
• Develop packs of prompt cards for asking for help / more detailed instructions to support people in daily interactions within the prison and through the gate, such as above or:
  “Can I stop you there? It would work for me if you allow me to practice while you talk, I remember better that way.”
  “I’m sorry, I find it hard to process lots of words, could you possibly slow down?”
• PQRST – preview, question, read, study, test – this is a useful structure to support individuals with learning new information.

• Advocate for education departments to have access to assistive technology to meet demands of the modern world through the gate.
• Avoid temptation to replace 12 years of education with a 2-week literacy course, often not adapted for neurominorities. For example, phonic tuition alone may not correct spelling and reading difficulties; new strategies should be applied if these have failed repeatedly.
• Literacy support charities might offer a more specialised programme and can help with providing differentiated material that inspires engagement.

• Train techniques for managing state and dealing with panic. Support individuals to avoid self-shame, slow down and take time with tasks that they find difficult.
• Advocate for education departments to have access to assistive technology – handwriting is reasonably obsolete in modern workplaces. Touch typing may be more appropriate to learn.
• Planning and practising movements and journeys before starting.
• Rehearsal of frequently required motor control tasks.

• Training awareness of sensory trigger and strategies for avoiding these within the Justice System. For example, planning days and wall chart reminders of which events happen in which order can help identify where sensory triggers are and how to avoid / reduce them.
• Advocate for adjustments like ear defenders wherever noise disruption is an issue; or wearing of sunglasses, reducing glare from strip lighting, as well as general notes on temperature, smell, touch and taste sensitivities.
• Touch is particularly of relevance during shutdowns, when any attempt to physically approach a neurodivergent person may exacerbate defensive aggression rather than calm or control an outburst.
• Psychologists can strongly advocate for decompression time and space for those who are sensory sensitive.

• Regular reflective, coaching-based sessions to increase self-awareness are essential for most neurominorities.
• Unhelpful or frightening behaviours can be supported by reinforcing positive behaviours; use of TOOTS, (Time Out On the Spot)
• Structure sessions / session plans; anticipate hot spots.
• People frequently exhibit warning signs, such as knee jiggling or nail biting, or breath holding, which indicate a pre-shutdown.
• Developing self-awareness of triggers can facilitate self-advocacy before a shutdown.
• Verbal communication is compromised during intense emotions. To counter, role-play short effective phrases to help attract support rather than control from staff. For example:
  “Can I self -isolate please, I am going into autistic meltdown?”
  “Help, fight or flight response happening.”
  “Help, trauma flashback happening.”
• Adopt a coaching response, predictability / stability; create consistency across staff groups; use planners; set goals; use checklists, enable individuals to plan and structure their day.