Jen on Nostr: there is (or was) a third option: muddling along. That option has effectively been ...

there is (or was) a third option: muddling along.

That option has effectively been neutralised by decades of pushing an agenda of conformity to being Good Service Workers.

Schools have become sausage factories, with laser-focus on exam results to the detriment of all else. They have harshly-enforced rules of conformity and control. Core subjects (science, maths, English) are valued far above arts, humanities, or vocational subjects. All assessment is all-or-nothing exams. Trade training has diminished. On-the-job training has all but vanished.

Meanwhile, factory jobs have evaporated. "And Sons" - style family businesses are few and far between. Offices are all open-plan. Everything is measured against metrics and Key Performance Indicators that have no flexibility for different skills or approaches. Funding for basically everything that supports families with whatever struggles has been cut to the bone. Job-for-life no longer exists, with many more people having to move away from their support circles for work.

It's all huge amounts of pressure on families - especially as many SEN conditions have a genetic element, so a struggling autistic kid is likely to have an (undiagnosed) struggling autistic parent. Many who may have just muddled along previously are now struggling, or even failing, to cope.