Speech and Language UK: Policy Exchange’s Out of Control report would strip children of an education and put families out of work

Speech and Language UK warns Policy Exchange's Out of Control report is a dangerous blueprint which risks stripping legal protections from thousands of children, push more  out of education and raising long-term costs.

Jane Harris, Chief Executive of Speech and Language UK, said: “There is much in the report that is plain wrong. It calls for removing legal EHCPs from most children. But this will not remove their needs – it will instead remove their chance to learn. Take away support and you also take away parents' chance to work and risk our economy's future.

“Because downgrading EHCPs to non-statutory ‘passports' and limiting them to special schools would remove the legal guarantee of provision in mainstream settings and end most EHCPs at 18 — even though many young people with learning disabilities take longer to learn. This would lead to higher NEET - not in education, employment or training - rates, more exclusions and school refusal, worse mental health and higher lifetime costs to the welfare state.

“Families waiting months or years for diagnostic assessments will find talk of ‘over-diagnosis' laughable. We speak to parents every day who have been fighting for support for years. Too many children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) still receive no support. 

“DLD is one of the most common forms of neurodivergence. Yet the report wrongly and worryingly conflates DLD with mental health. They are not the same and conflating the two risks children's wellbeing and learning opportunities. 

“If we want fewer EHCPs, make mainstream schools genuinely inclusive.  Drop rigid rules like compulsory eye contact.  Improve accessibility, train teachers to adapt to common needs, and fund specialist input. Don't pit children with ‘milder' needs against those with complex needs — that false choice harms everyone.

“Britain is a global leader in child health and genomics, helping to identify conditions earlier and understand co-occurring needs. We should use our world-class research and fund early, evidence-based support — not turn back the clock or lower our ambitions.”

The report claims there is an ‘over-diagnosis' of our children. This is a cheap, unchecked attempt to grab a headline. In truth, thousands of families face record waits for support in a system that makes assessment and assistance extraordinarily hard to obtain.  Most initial EHCP assessment requests come from schools and colleges, not from parents — because schools lack the funding and expertise to meet needs without extra support.

The report ignores Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) - even though it affects around two children in every classroom and drives learning, behaviour and mental-health difficulties. Leaving it off the headline list betrays a shallow understanding.

Overstating the impact of ‘digital determinants' highlights the lack of causal evidence for screens causing neurodivergence in the report. Intelligent policy should follow high-quality evidence, not hunches.

Overlooking the inclusion gap is another glaring omission.  Many schools and nurseries have become less inclusive over the last 15 years. If the goal is fewer EHCPs, fund mainstream inclusion properly - and bring in flexible behaviour policies, accessible environments and ongoing specialist input.

Contrary to claims in the report, EHCP growth reflects rising need and falling per-pupil funding, not ‘gaming'. High-needs budgets haven't kept pace, forcing escalation to EHCPs to secure essential support.  Requests mostly come from education settings.

Research shows:

• Families are waiting, not over-diagnosing. NHS figures show very large autism assessment backlogs, with waits in months and years.
• DLD is common and overlooked. About 7–8% of children meet criteria, and many receive no support.
• Early intervention pays short- and long-term dividends. UK and international data show early, evidence-based speech and language support improves outcomes and saves money.
• Genomics is a UK success story. Whole-genome services are improving diagnosis for rare and complex developmental conditions — a reason to improve support, not roll it back.

Notes to Editors:

• Policy Exchange, Out of Control: Addressing the Rise in Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorders amongst Children and Young People (27 Aug 2025). The report recommends repealing the Children and Families Act 2014, making EHCPs non‑statutory and limiting them to special schools; ending EHCPs at 18; and pursuing policies on ‘digital determinants' including screen‑time guidance.
• Department for Education (26 Jun 2025): 638,700 children and young people had an EHC plan as at Jan 2025; requests for assessments rose 11.8% in 2024; around 94% of completed assessments resulted in a plan. Per‑plan funding has fallen substantially in real terms since 2015/16 (IFS).
• Special Needs Jungle FOI analysis (Mar 2024): ~29% of initial EHC needs assessment requests came from parents/carers — meaning most are initiated by education settings.
• NHS England/National Autistic Society: as of June 2025, more than 230,000 people in England were waiting for an autism assessment.
• DLD prevalence: c.7–8% of children; research shows many receive little or no support.
• Early intervention and economic case: UK and international evidence (IFS Sure Start evaluation; RCSLT and peer‑reviewed studies) shows early, evidence‑based support improves outcomes and delivers savings over time.
• Genomics: The NHS Genomic Medicine Service and the 100,000 Genomes Project are enabling earlier and more accurate diagnoses of rare developmental conditions, informing better, earlier support.

About Speech and Language UK 

For at least two million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feels like an impossible hurdle. We work to give every child the skills they need to face the future with confidence.  We design innovative tools and training for thousands of early years staff and teachers to use in their classrooms. We run two special schools for children with complex speech and language challenges, Dawn House in Nottinghamshire and Meath in Surrey. We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. And we put pressure on politicians to prioritise help for speech and language challenges.  

We demand a country in which every child with challenges in talking and understanding words has the skills they need to face the future with confidence.