Today there has been news reports about some NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England imposing two-year minimum waits on autism and ADHD assessments due to a struggle to meet demand.

The Guardian has reported that 15 ICBs, covering 19 million people, have introduced ways of rationing assessments for autism ADHD and autism due to costs. The Guardian also spoke to a parent, Rosalyn, about the impact of years waiting for an autism assessment for her 14-year-old autistic daughter, Imogen.

Our full comment in response to this news is included below.

Our comment:

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Influencing at the National Autistic Society, said: “Restricting access to autism assessments denies people support because, while it shouldn’t be the case, a diagnosis is needed to get help. For children, this can mean years of wasted school while they wait for an assessment and further waits to get a plan for support and adjustments to be put into place. 

“A diagnosis doesn’t only confirm if people are autistic or not, but also their needs and what adjustments could make a massive difference to being able to participate and enjoy life. Longer waiting times and restricting access to assessments will only worsen challenges for autistic people, pushing them into crisis and increasing the number of people with urgent needs. 

“Autistic people experience some of the starkest inequalities in our society. They are three times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic people, twice as likely to be excluded from school than non-SEND students and only three in 10 autistic people are in work, one of the lowest employment rates. 

“Autistic people are more likely to die early, be detained in mental health hospitals, face long waits for social care that often does not meet their needs, have their physical health needs missed, be denied mental health support and experience substantial stigma and discrimination.  

“Where is the urgency to address this? The Government must invest in more capacity for NHS autism assessments, take accountability for driving down waiting times, make sure national guidance is being followed, and create a system that provides support for autistic people and families before and after assessments.” 

Further information

Read our news story on the latest autism assessment waiting times.

Read our news story about our charity stating definitely that autism is genetic.

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