Adam Dance MP slams Richard Tice’s comments on children with SEND as “dangerous and insulting”

Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, has sharply criticised comments made this week by Reform UK leader Richard Tice, who claimed there is an “over-diagnosis” of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Mr Dance described Tice’s remarks as “dangerous”, “deeply insulting to families”, and part of a narrative that risks taking the country backwards in the treatment and understanding of neurodiverse children.

Adam Dance MP said:

“Richard Tice’s comments about so-called ‘over-diagnosis’ of children with SEND are not only wrong, they are dangerous. There is no crisis of over-diagnosis in this country — there is a crisis of children being missed, misunderstood, and left without help for far too long.

“Parents are not fighting for assessments because it’s fashionable. They are fighting because their children are struggling and the system is failing them. To suggest that families are part of the problem is deeply insulting to thousands of parents who have had to battle every step of the way to get even the most basic support.

“As someone with dyslexia and ADHD, I know exactly how life-changing the right diagnosis and help can be. It gives children confidence, understanding, and a sense of belonging. Denying that — or belittling it — does real harm.”

Mr Dance warned that Reform UK’s rhetoric risks reversing progress on inclusion and SEND support in schools.

He added:

“Reform UK's approach would take our country backwards. It risks a return to a time when children were punished for behaviours they could not control, written off as ‘difficult’, or pushed out of classrooms instead of being supported. That is not the future our children deserve.

“We need early screening, proper teacher training, fair funding, and compassion — not rhetoric that stokes division and undermines vulnerable children. I will keep fighting for a system that lifts children up, recognises their strengths, and gives every young person the chance to thrive. Reform’s vision does the opposite.”

Adam Dance has been leading national work in Parliament to improve support for neurodiverse children, including calling for universal screening in primary schools, mandatory teacher training on neurodiversity, and fairer SEND funding.