Neurodiversity

Participants in the BrainWaves Cohort study were asked whether they consider themselves to have dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, autism, ADHD, social, emotional and mental health difficulties, emotional and behaviioural difficulties, or speech, language and communication needs.

The graphs show the distribution of responses to this question about neurodiversity, and split by sex, on the first occasion that they completed the BrainWaves Cohort Study questionnaire.

Overall, 11.4% indicated that they had a neurodiverse condition, with this percentage being higher for females (12.2%) than for males (10.1%).

The BrainWaves Cohort Study has collected responses from over 24,000 people aged 16-18 in schools across the UK, over three time points in 2024 and 2025.