Feb 14, 2025, Daily Mail: NHS test spots autism signs in minutes - as child referrals jump again
The number of children seeking help for suspected autism has spiralled to an all-time high in Covid's wake, official data revealed today.
Almost 130,000 under 18s in England were still awaiting an assessment in December 2024, NHS figures showed.
Clinicians who suspect patients to be autistic based on their answers to the test are then typically passed on for specialist assessments. . . .
According to the fresh NHS data, 129,179 under-18s had been referred and were awaiting an assessment in December 2024.
It marked a rise of 26.4 per cent on the 102,200 reported in December 2023.
Of these, 116,109 had been waiting longer than the NHS recommended 13 weeks, meaning almost 9 in 10 kids had been stuck for over three months. . . .
The delays have been slammed by experts who call the system 'broken' and called for change or risk people missing out on 'early vital support'.
Mel Merritt, head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: 'Rocketing waiting lists mean people are waiting years for an autism assessment and missing out on early vital support. This broken system must change.' . . .
It comes as the Children's Commisioner last year warned that kids forced to wait years for autism diagnoses on the NHS are being 'robbed' of their childhoods.
Data, accessed by the independent watchdog, shows one in six children seeking an autism diagnosis waited more than four years via the NHS's community services.
Autism is not a disease and people have it from the moment they are born, although it may not be spotted until childhood and sometimes much later.
Autism exists on a spectrum. Some people will be able to lead fully functioning lives with no additional help. Others may need full-time assistance.
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