Autism assessment delay concerns

“The BBC has reported that children with autism in Wales are waiting an average of two years to be diagnosed. However, recent research suggests that this actually may be an underestimate. In a report published in 2016, Dr Laura Crane and her colleagues presented the results of a survey of over 1,000 parents across the UK. They found that on average the child’s age when help was first sought was 3.9 years, but the average age when they were formally diagnosed was 7.5 years, a wait of over three-and-a-half years. Why is this? There are a number of reasons, with some children experiencing many barriers that delay their diagnosis. Firstly, they are often referred between different professionals. For example, a single child may be referred to professionals such as a teacher, their GP, a health visitor, a paediatrician, a psychologist or a speech and language therapist. It is not uncommon for a child to be seen by four of these on their journey to diagnosis. Only 8% are diagnosed at their first point of contact, with 30% being told that there is no problem, 8% told to come back if there is no improvement and 17% being given a diagnosis of something other than autism. Many are tested and recalled to be re-tested at various stages.

Now, you would think that after battling for years to get their child diagnosed, these parents and their children would look forward to a brighter future with access to help and support. Sadly, this often isn’t the case. In Dr Crane’s survey, over a third were offered no help at all, either during or after diagnosis. If parents actively seek help themselves, which many do, they will find that state support is patchy at best. Charities do the best they can; for example, the National Autistic Society run nine specialist schools across the country, but with an estimated 700,000 on the autistic spectrum disorder in the UK there is a limit to what they can do. One effective intervention is applied behaviour analysis, and the earlier it is implemented the better for the child. It is common for parents to hire a qualified ABA tutor themselves rather than wait for help from elsewhere that may never arrive. It is a sad fact that people with developmental disabilities seem to be treated as a lower priority to those with a medical condition”

 

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