Greens hold Broomhill and Sharrow Vale
Brian Holmshaw holds Sheffield's Broomhill and Sharrow Vale ward for Green.
Dearne North – Labour hold
Wendy Ann Cain has been re-elected. Landslide victory for Labour with the party receiving 1025 votes.
Education system under pressure due to 787% rise in autism diagnoses
Increased public awareness of autism has prompted a surge in demand for a diagnosis which health and education systems are struggling to match, it has been claimed.
Experts have told Sheffield Wire that the increase in diagnosed neurodivergent individuals with more subtle traits is making it difficult for staff and schools to accommodate their needs.
In addition, increased waiting times for a diagnosis could prevent individuals who need more support from receiving it faster. They told us that teacher training could assist in faster identification but for those displaying mild traits, guidance from mental health professionals, such as counsellors and speech and language therapists, could be an essential first step.
In 2021, The Guardian published an article about a study that showed a 787% rise in the number of diagnoses between 1998 and 2018 in the UK.
It stated: “80 years ago, autism was thought to affect one in 2,500 children. That has gradually increased and now one in 36 children are believed to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD)."
The article also raised various expert opinions saying the increase could be from overdiagnosis, "ever-wider assessment boundaries" and more people with mild traits seeking a diagnosis.
Victoria Devonshire is a Developmental Psychologist, specialising in Educational Psychology.
She spoke of the demands teachers face in spotting particular behaviours in children and said during her teacher training, the focus was on dyscalculia, dyslexia and ADHD. She said this makes it difficult for people and teachers to confidently know specific indicators.
“The demands on teachers are so many and so varied that if a child is performing well enough and reaching academic targets and is not too disruptive in a class then it is never going to be a priority which is a shame. There is a stigma around labelling and diagnosis so that's another issue which is important to bear in mind.
"If the trigger for getting a diagnosis is because of a mental health issue, such as depression, they could be having very difficult outbursts of behaviour and autism might not be thought to be the root of it. So they might get put onto a waiting list which will take even longer and then they might be seen and offered some support but the diagnosis is going to take even longer than it would have if it had just been considered possible autism and been tested straight away.
"That’s the really hard thing about diagnosis because it is not immediately obvious and autism could be one of the reasons why the child is suffering from depression or severe anxiety which needs treating."
Victoria said if schools were given more training, and there were more teacher training colleges, there would be a better understanding of the variety of possible indicators of autism.
She added that a key component of autism is social communication and language difficulties, which can be identified by a speech and language therapist. Although speech and language therapists cannot officially diagnose autism, Victoria believes the identification of a social communication disorder could be a quicker first step towards diagnosis.
She said: "Speech and language therapists play a good role in helping the diagnosis and often in terms of accessibility. There tends to be more speech and language therapists around than clinical psychologists. They can diagnose social communication disorders so that would be a big clue so you could end up with a diagnosis and see if it is autism as well.
“For some parents, it’s a huge relief to get a diagnosis because it offers an explanation but for other parents, it might be quite frightening and challenging to have that diagnosis and also it depends on the culture within the individual’s home environment, where they live and what their experience of these things are," Victoria explained.
Cathy Wassell, CEO of the Autistic Girls Network, said: “Schools not understanding neurodivergent communication is a real difficulty."
Cathy is neurodivergent, she runs an autistic girls network charity and is mum to two neurodivergent young people. She has also published a book for families seeking advice called Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person: A Parent’s Handbook to Supporting Newly Diagnosed Teens and Pre-Teens.
She explained how schools can be “toxic places” for a lot of young people due to a lack of understanding about neurodivergent communication.
And, according to Cathy, Education Health Care Plans plans are “always a struggle” for accessibility reasons as they are diagnosis-led rather than needs-led.
Sarah Terry has been working as a counsellor in UK secondary schools, both private and public, for 20 years. She was diagnosed with autism later in life as her traits went unnoticed as a child due to limited autism awareness, along with “classic masking.”
Like many other late-diagnosed autistic people, she spent years researching and trying to understand herself better due to a feeling of “being different”.
In Sarah’s local area, autism diagnosis through the NHS can take around four years. Suppose someone is displaying mild traits, Sarah hopes people can learn and discover more about autism on her TikTok page and feel a sense of community and contentment with or without being diagnosed.
Since COVID-19, Sarah has noticed a significant rise in female students seeking her support.
In the past, a lot of girls would "mask" their behaviour to appear neurotypical, this could be the reason why their identification might have gone unknown to teachers and learning support staff.
Sarah explained that masking is seen more with girls who might “seek out what looks ok” and latch onto someone perceived as the “popular person” in the friendship group, liked by the teachers and academically achieving. So they will attempt to mimic that person.
“So when we talk about masking it is almost like that’s the mask they wear, they wear a mask of their friend and so what happens is they are using so much energy that when they get home, they have a meltdown,” Sarah explained.
One of the key messages she expresses via her TikTok platform @sarahtheasdcounsellor is to parents, saying: “If your child is displaying autistic traits, you don’t have to wrap them up in cotton wool. Celebrate what is different about them and help them to manage what they struggle with because it can be done and I am living proof of that."
Sarah claimed a closer look at the assessment criteria for autism diagnosis needs revisiting because a clear problem is the current assessment criteria being aimed at boys.
“Boys tend to struggle academically, now girls, on the other hand, are often going to be straight-A students because part of the masking process is; well if I’m very good and I’m the best student then no one will bother me. So we fail at that first hurdle because that form gets sent out to all that child's teachers and they’ll all come back and say no there’s no behavioural issues, no academic issues, this child is really good, they’re quiet and get on with work."
Fleur-Michelle (pictured below) is a Senior Clinical Psychologist and she explained how important it is for females not to mask their true selves as it can make them “vulnerable to mental health challenges."
She agreed the balancing act between encouraging self-expression while matching the requirements of educational establishments is difficult.
“What we should be doing, if we are assessing or trying to get support for an autistic child, is expecting one of those parents to be neurodivergent themselves, and giving them the same accommodations and support that we're trying to give their child."
‘You don’t even know if you’ll be here in six months’: International students face uncertainty due to visa review
International students in the UK say they are facing increased anxiety and uncertainty over their ability to work in the country after their graduation.
This insecurity comes after the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, announced on 4 December 2023 that there would be a number of upcoming changes to visa rules. Now, international students await the announcement of changes being made under the rapid review of the Graduate Visa route, which will be published on 14 May.
The proposed review looks to require international students to be earning a minimum of £38,700 as graduates in order to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker Visa. This is a significant increase on the previous salary threshold, set at £26,200.
Anticipating these proposed changes, one student, studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, who wished to remain anonymous, emphasised the anxiety that this review had caused for them and other international students.
They said: “It really puts me into a very high level of stress actually, and I believe a lot of other friends too. You don’t even know if in the next six months you will be here, which is very unfortunate.”
Sayuri Ito, a third-year student at the University of Leeds, currently completing a placement year, is also facing uncertainty after realising how the potential changes being introduced to the Graduate Visa route could restrict her employment options.
She said: “When I applied to university, I was just thinking I’d go to somewhere outside of Japan, and it was a bit 50-50 on whether I’d go back. But after studying in English for so long I don’t really see how I can go back to Japan and work in Japanese. I did all my studies in English, so any specific term that I’d have to know I know in English."
Hafiezudin Rosdi, a final year student at Sheffield Hallam University, who had previously hoped to work in the UK after graduating, has also been forced to reassess the options available to him.
He said: "My plan B previously was to obviously go and work in Malaysia however, that plan B is turning into a plan A.
"Ideally it would be nice to sustain a job in the UK but obviously considering the increased wage and everything the plan B is looking like a plan A."
Hasif Hadafi, a first year accounting and financial management student at The University of Sheffield, has also started to grow anxious of what the proposed changes could mean for his future.
He said: "I'm a first-year, so I didn't think it would affect me. "But then later I was like, actually this is very serious, even for first years, as it affects the visa and my opportunity to work here.
"Not many companies want to give out that much money to new graduates so it will be hard for us to find a company that will be willing to give that much for someone who doesn’t have any experience and who just finished studying."
Ahmad Azim, a first-year student also studying at the University of Sheffield, has likewise been forced to start considering how the visa changes could impact his future in the UK.
He said: "It's already hard enough to get a job as an international student, or find a place of work. So when I heard about the rise in the minimum wage it just increased my doubts on if I could sustain a job here.
"So it just really altered my future plans going forward if I was actually going to pursue a job in the UK or just go back to Malaysia and work there."
Anticipating the uncertainty currently being experienced by many international students, Manchester Student Union is one organisation that is attempting to ease stress, through offering information and support to students during this period.
Looking at the experiences of international students in Manchester, Robert Beale, Activities and Culture Officer for Manchester Student Union, said "the biggest emotion that [international] students are experiencing is just uncertainty."
He said: “There’s so many students studying right now who thought that the picture upon their graduation was going to be entirely different.”
As a result of this, Manchester Student Union has recognised the concern which these proposed changes may be causing for some students and has organised FAQ sessions to try and give more guidance to students on the changes.
Barnsley candidates await results hopefully with voter turn out slightly down
By David Hall and Richard McLaughlin
As the first results come in the mood is hopeful for Labour as the first three seats go to them.
Eyes are centred on key seats such as Rockingham, Kingstone, Peniston East.
The Conservative candidate for Penistone East, Peter Millar said: "I'm always hopeful, the piles look similar but I think there's going to be a couple hundreds votes in it.
"I think people are not very happy with the national picture, on the doorstep people feel let down by Brexit"
Labours Kevin Osbourne who just held his seat in Darfield, speaking beforehand said: "What we're hearing on the doorstep is that there is a great regard for the new style of Labour party."
Voter turn out is 24.14% down by 0.56% with 44,967 votes cast, 24,129 of which were postal votes.
Voter ID has been less of any issue for this year. Sarah Norman, CEO of Barnsley council and the returning officer for the local elections said: "I'm only aware of one voter who came and didn't have ID and wasn't able to come back. I think the message has got home to people that you need to bring ID, it seems to be more establish in mind of voters."
Darton East – Liberal Democrats gain
Leyla Nayeri wins this vacant seat. However, Labour was not too far behind the Lib Dems.
Injury epidemic: ‘My knee buckled and I knew straight away’
Despite the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries skyrocketing for women footballers, it's still unclear exactly why.
The latest research has revealed women are up to six times more likely than men to suffer from ACL problems, with an estimated 195 players succumbing to the crippling knee injury in the last 18 months.
Ellie Doyle, 24, plays for Tranmere Rovers was side-lined this season after being diagnosed with an ACL rupture in October.
“I was running, it wasn’t even after a tackle. My knee buckled and I knew straight away,” she said.
The Tranmere forward was left with no choice but to pay for her own rehabilitation, despite asking the club for help, following her corrective surgery last month.
Several theories that have been put forward as to why these particular injuries are now so prevalent in the women’s game.
This week, a three-year initiative, Project ACL, was launched which aims to find ways to reduce the knee-injury epidemic of Women’s Football.
The project is a joint effort between Players' union FIFPRO, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), Nike and Leeds Beckett University.
“They’ve blamed hormonal workloads, low-quality pitches, inadequate boots and even hereditary factors - there’s probably some truth in them all,” Doyle said.
Ellie's twin sister, Emma Doyle, who plays for Blackburn Rovers, finally returned to the pitch this season after two years out with her own anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Evie Drsicoll-King, 21, plays for Peterborough United. Although she has never suffered with an ACL injury in her career, she has seen the plague of knee injuries affect several of her teammates.
“I know six girls who’ve had cruciate ligament problems, including a girl I played with a few years ago," she said. “I heard she did her other knee this season as well.”
Driscoll-King, believes the Project ACL initiative is a step in the right direction. She said: “Women are pleased this is happening. It’s not difficult to reel off names of girls who’ve done their ACL, including superstars, like Leah Williamson and Beth Mead."