The unpleasant facts you need to know
Did you know that neurodivergence impacts on mental health, academic achievement, employment, life expectancy and quality of life?
Autistic people, people with ADHD and people with dyslexia are all at higher risk for depression, anxiety and suicide
People with ADHD are 3x more likely to complete suicide
People who haven’t been able to access a proper diagnosis of autism are also even more at risk of suicide
For autistic people, having a high IQ increases the likelihood they will consider suicide
For autistic girls, the suicide risk is especially high
44% of people with autism experience bullying at school
Neurodivergent learners in New Zealand are less engaged in school
Gifted learners, autistic learners and those with ADHD or learning difficulties often resort to homeschooling, correspondence school, or health school
People with dyslexia are less likely to have qualifications and those with ADHD are 30% less likely to get a degree
Autistic people have lower rates of enrolment in tertiary education than people with other disabilities - and those that do enrol are more likely to leave before completing their qualification
Over 50% of the prison population has dyslexia
People with ADHD are 10% less likely to be employed, and are more likely to quit jobs and be fired from jobs
The financial burden of raising a child is 5x greater if the child has ADHD
Autistic people and people with ADHD experience learning difficulties because of their brain structure that works differently from a neurotypical brain
Did you know that mainstream education in New Zealand is not meeting the needs of neurodivergent learners?
Teachers dealing with busy classrooms
Teachers with many students in busy classrooms with short learning periods have limited capacity to get to know their students well and understand their individual needs.
Giftedness is overlooked in mainstream education
Many teenagers’ gifts are overlooked in the mainstream education if their talents do not relate to typical academic subjects or extracurricular activities .
No training on giftedness
Teacher education programmes provide little or no training on neurodiversity or giftedness. Most teachers in New Zealand have poor understanding of how people can be both highly intellectual and learning disabled at the same time.
Poor access to diagnosis and support
New Zealand lags behind countries such as Australia, United Kingdom and United States with regards to its diagnosis, recognition and measurement of giftedness, autism, ADHD and learning difficulties. For example, diagnosis costs upwards of $700 and/or waiting lists of 6-12 months.
Poor capacity to individualise
Schools, in order to accommodate a large number of students, must standardise their programs, limiting their ability to be flexible and cater to individual sensory, learning, and social needs.
The downside of New Zealand’s egalitarian culture
New Zealand’s egalitarian culture can hinder opportunities for gifted young individuals to advance their specialist knowledge and skills.
We’re not the only ones saying this…
-
![]()
The problems with New Zealand’s approach to dyslexia
-
![]()
What the Neurodiversity in Education Coalition has to say
-
![]()
The barriers to education in New Zealand for neurodivergent learners
-
![]()
The problems with New Zealand’s access to neurodivergent diagnoses and support
-
![]()
Expert concerns about New Zealand’s mainstream education system’s ability to provide for neurodivergent learners
