Children are ‘harmfully’ having to wait more than four years for a diagnosis of autism and mental health problems.
One young person waited 1,518 days – around four years and a month – for their diagnosis at NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Another at NHS Tayside had to wait 1,323 days – around three and a half years – before the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders was confirmed by medics.
Waiting lists for autism assessments are not faring much better south of the border, amid staff shortages and increasing demand.
Tens of thousands of children with suspected autism in England have been waiting for at least three months for an assessment to confirm their diagnosis.
NHS data for England shows tens of thousands of children with suspected autism have been waiting three months or more for an assessment to confirm the diagnosis (stock image)
This graph shows the percentage increase in the incidence of autism diagnoses between 1998 and 2018. British researchers found that the number of autism diagnoses had increased by an ‘exponential’ 787% in two decades. They said the increase could be due to increased recognition of the condition among experts, particularly in the field of diagnosing autism in girls and adults, but added that an increase in the number of autism cases itself does not can be excluded.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that no one should wait longer than that time.
But almost three-quarters of the 110,000 children in the NHS system with an open autism referral were in this position in December, figures show.
This rises to 100 per cent in one trust, according to a MailOnline analysis of the latest available data.
All 2,645 outstanding autism referrals under 18s at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (FT) have been waiting for more than 13 weeks to be assessed.
High figures were also recorded at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT (94 per cent), North East London NHS FT and East Kent Hospitals University NHS FT (both 93 per cent).
Data on the diagnosis wait time in Scotland was obtained by the Scottish Lib Dems through freedom of information requests to health boards.
Party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘For parents and children waiting for a diagnosis to open the door to support services, these revelations will be depressingly familiar.
‘These excessive wait times can be particularly harmful to children with autism and neurodevelopmental problems.
‘It just delays a diagnosis that will be crucial in ensuring they get the help they need in other aspects of their lives.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for better support, and now it is time for the Health Secretary to act to ensure everyone waiting gets the help they need.”
His comments came as the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) called for more support for children and young people with additional support needs, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.
According to the report, spending per pupil on additional learning support has fallen by more than a third, from £5,698 in 2012-2013 to £3,764 in 2022-2023.
The number of children needing extra support has more than doubled between 2021 and 2022 to 241,639 – more than a third of all students.
Meanwhile, the SCSC said the number of full-time equivalent additional support needs of specialist teachers had fallen from 3,390 to 2,844, a drop of 16 per cent.
A spokesperson added: ‘We are dealing with a lost generation of children and it is vital that they get the care and support they need.’
It comes amid what experts have recognized in recent years as an explosion in autism rates in Britain.
Some experts have repeatedly pointed out that this is the result of growing awareness of the spectrum disorder, which only became widely diagnosed as its own condition this century.
This has led to a ‘backlog’ of cases, especially among women and girls who were less likely to be diagnosed in the past.
An additional factor that may have contributed to the rise is the retirement of Asperger’s syndrome, which was once considered a separate condition but is now considered another form of autism.
However, others have pointed out that the ‘wild west’ of autism screening in England could mean that overdiagnosis could also play a role.
Earlier this month, a study revealed that adults referred to some autism assessment centers have an 85 percent chance of being told they are on the spectrum.
Yet in other places this figure can be as low as 35 percent, researchers at University College London found.
TV presenter Melanie Sykes was diagnosed with autism at the age of 51 and shared the news in 2021. Here she is pictured in London in 2018
Springwatch star Chris Packham, 62, opened up about his 2005 autism diagnosis in the BBC documentary Inside Our Autistic Minds, which aired last year. Pictured on February 14, 2024
TV personality Christine McGuinness has revealed she was diagnosed with autism in 2021 along with her three children. Here she is pictured at an event in Manchester last year
Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects the way people communicate and interact with each other.
According to the World Health Organization, about one in every hundred children around the world has the condition.
However, according to a 2021 study by Newcastle University, around one in 57 children in Britain is autistic.
And in 2021, experts again found that autism diagnoses in England had risen by an ‘exponential’ 787 percent in 20 years.
Signs of adults with autism include not understanding how others feel, becoming anxious about social situations, having a strict routine, or appearing blunt without meaning to.
Autistic children may avoid eye contact and not respond to being called their name, among other symptoms.
The listed NHS trusts in England were contacted for comment.