According to a survey by the National Autistic Society (NAS) of 1,047 parents of children on the autism spectrum, the average delay between first contacting a healthcare professional and receiving a diagnosis is 3.6 years.
The majority of parents (84 per cent) reported that the diagnosis process was stressful, and over half were dissatisfied with the diagnostic process.
Without a diagnosis, the NAS says that children on the spectrum are often left without support for years, which has a knock-on impact on families, who have to deal with the strain and often don’t have a full understanding of their children’s needs.
The charity is now calling on the NHS and Government to take urgent action to reduce ‘unacceptable’ waiting times for autism diagnosis.
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