Current provision for autistic children, young people and adults is ‘varied’ across England and in need of standardisation and improvement, NICE said.
The standards, which are based on four NICE accredited clinical guidelines published over the last three years, comprise three main recommendations:
Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE said that the standards would help professionals to deliver ‘the very best care and support for both adults and children with the condition.’
Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, welcomed the speeding up of the referral process.
‘The first step to getting the right support is having timely access to diagnosis, so speeding up the process will have a significant impact on the lives of thousands of people with autism in England, many of whom have waited or are waiting to obtain this critical milestone,’ he said.
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