Children, young people and families across Scotland are set to benefit from an additional £3.4 million investment aimed at improving access to neurodevelopmental support.
The funding brings total investment in neurodevelopmental supports and services this year to more than £5 million, with a focus on earlier help and better access to support that meets individual needs.
More than £1 million of the new funding will directly support families, including improved access to digital resources covering neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD.
A successful hub model developed in Edinburgh will also be expanded into Tayside, bringing together health, education and third sector support for families in a single location.
The investment will also be used to improve services, including testing new approaches to neurodevelopmental assessment and ADHD support for young adults.
Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing Tom Arthur said:
“I am determined to drive real, meaningful improvements and deliver the best possible outcomes for neurodivergent people.
“Demand for neurodevelopmental support and diagnosis has increased significantly in recent years, both in Scotland and globally.
“This additional £3.4 million will improve the help available to families providing better information, practical support and access to services in their communities.
“This funding will create the groundwork for additional investment in the future as proposed in our Budget for next year.
“We want to ensure that children, young people and their families can access the support they need, regardless of where they are on their neurodevelopmental journey.
“A diagnosis is just one part of someone’s experience.
“What matters most is that people get the right support at the right time, and this funding will help make that happen.”
The new investment builds on £500,000 announced in June 2025, bringing total additional funding for 2025 to 2026 to £3.9 million.
Funding will support a range of projects, including boosting health board assessment capacity for young people transitioning to adult services and providing digital support to 1,000 families through the EPIC Think Learn platform.
It will also extend The Yard’s Edinburgh Disability and Neurodevelopment Hub model into Tayside, alongside work with the University of Glasgow to test holistic approaches through a new neurodevelopmental research clinic.
Further funding will support new digital tools for ADHD, continued work in Fife on children and young people’s neurodevelopmental services, and improved understanding of the needs of families currently on health board waiting lists.
Neurodevelopmental conditions covered by the programme include autism and ADHD.
