Dr Donna Marie Holder, who has Barbadian and St Vincentian heritage, is an esteemed Autism Specialist supporting autistic children, their families, and related professionals across a major London Borough. With more than thirteen years of experience working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in both special and mainstream school environments, Dr Holder possesses substantial expertise in her field.
Among seven million pupils, 119,821 have been diagnosed with autism. Boys continue to be diagnosed at significantly higher rates than girls, which, according to the team, may indicate limitations in gender-based diagnostic approaches. Data also show that autism prevalence is highest among pupils of Black ethnicity at 2.1%, whereas the lowest rate is observed within the Roma community at 0.85%.

So pupils are 60% more likely to be socially disadvantaged, if they also have a record of autism.