Autism and educational governance
Diagnostic regimes in England and Wales
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21501723 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Arribas-Ayllon (0000-0003-2669-2781, Cardiff University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-29 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Education Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-0939 • E-ISSN: 1464-5106 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02680939.2026.2695082 |
| OpenAlex | W7166560391 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
This paper examines the historical entanglement of autism diagnosis and educational governance in England and Wales. It develops the concept of diagnostic regimes – the assemblage of laws, routines and classificatory infrastructures through which diagnosis functions as a policy instrument. Using autism as a paradigmatic case, the analysis demonstrates how diagnostic categories have become embedded in eligibility rules, funding formulae, tribunal procedures and statistical systems, thereby shaping access to support. Drawing on path dependence, the paper shows how early design choices created self-reinforcing feedbacks that have entrenched diagnostic reliance in England’s SEN/EHCP framework. Wales’s Additional Learning Needs reforms represent a deliberate attempt to disrupt this trajectory by instituting a needs-based model centred on Individual Development Plans. A documentary – administrative method is used to trace how statutes, codes, appeals and data returns operationalise these instruments. Comparative analysis highlights both lock-in and friction: England illustrates mature convergence around diagnostic proof, while Wales demonstrates the difficulty of decoupling support from diagnosis amid resource pressures and professional routines. The findings offer an analytic vocabulary for understanding governance through diagnosis and argue for redesigning instruments so that needs-based documentation can become actionable, reducing reliance on clinical certification while sustaining equitable entitlements
Autism · Certification · Clinical governance · Corporate governance · Documentation · Proposition · Vocabulary · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Disability Rights and Representation · Global Educational Policies and Reforms
A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education
Camouflaging in autism
Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children
A Conceptual Analysis of Autistic Masking
Warnock 40 Years on
Inclusive Education for Students With Special Education Needs in Norway
Sorting Things Out
Sociology of diagnosis
Governing education through data in England
Education, health and care plans and tribunals in England
Education, Inclusion and Individual Differences
Autism diagnosis in Wales
Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics
Path dependence in historical sociology
| Highly cited | No |
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