The report published by the Westminster Commission on 2nd November 2021: “Support Surrounding Diagnosis: An inquiry into pre-and-post support for the Autism Diagnosis Pathway”1 argues for greater support for individuals and their families through the long process of receiving a diagnosis of autism. Increased funding over recent years has led to an increase in the number of people able to access autism diagnostic services.
However, it can take up to 20 months to decide if an autism assessment is appropriate and, if it is deemed appropriate, a further year to have the assessment. During this time, and allowing for regional variations, individuals and their families have little support. The report suggests this leads to increased stress for families and individuals and calls for better support during this time. This article looks at the five recommendations of the report and considers how schools can better support children and their families when a child may have suspected autism.
Autism prevalence: key data
A recent study of more than seven million children in the UK2, showed:
- About one in 57 (1.76%) children in the UK are on the autistic spectrum
- Male 2.81%
- Female 0.65%
- Highest in Black pupils 2.11%
- Lowest in Roma/Irish Travelers 0.85%
Autism can also co-occur with other conditions such as:
- Intellectual Disability (with an IQ of less than 70) 33% in the USA3
- Learning Difficulties 18% in the UK4
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 28% in the UK5 ·
- Mental health conditions, such as anxiety 20% in the UK6