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New research by the charity Ambitious about Autism has found that families navigating the autism assessment and diagnosis process describe it as ‘lonely’, ‘brutal’ and ‘painful’. A third of parents and carers report that their experience of the autism assessment and diagnosis process has been negative, and nearly two thirds describe the support they received after their child’s autism diagnosis as ‘poor’ or ‘awful’.

A new report by the Children’s Commissioner has revealed that thousands of disabled children are stuck in hospital far longer than they need to be. More than 1,000 children remained in hospital for over a year, with many unable to leave because of delays arranging care packages, a shortage of social care placements, and unsuitable or unsafe housing.

Two-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll.

Kay Millar, from Frome, is one of more than 800,000 people in the UK who use the Motability scheme to lease a car, which is paid for through her government-funded mobility allowance. The 29-year-old, who is a teacher by profession, said she is “devastated” that the rules to access the scheme are set to become stricter.

Vickie and Victoria speak in glowing terms about their apprentice, Lizzie Allen, a young woman, who was born with Down Syndrome, and who is inspiring others with learning disabilities to start earning and learning. Lizzie, 22, is midway through an apprenticeship at Juniper – a store where people can do their bit for the environment by filling up with reusable jars and containers.