With greater understanding and reduced stigma around neurodiversity, many adults are seeking diagnostic assessments. In many areas of the UK, no publicly funded assessment services exist for conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults. Waiting times for diagnosis are growing rapidly, as are the number of individuals awaiting assessment. In 2023, the number of people awaiting autism assessments alone increased by 47% to 172,000, in the UK.

With few health care professionals having any training in neurodivergent conditions, misinformation leads to missed opportunities, even where services exist.

The issue is particularly relevant for women, due to an historical belief that many forms of neurodivergence, like autism and ADHD, were significantly less prevalent in girls, leading to widespread underdiagnoses.

Across the UK, adults are being consistently failed and delayed in their access to a diagnosis and any downstream support by the patchy state of services available.

Increasingly, many are turning to private providers at significant financial cost. This would be unacceptable for any other health conditions with such widespread prevalence and should be unacceptable for neurodiversity.

References

National Autistic Society (2024) Autism assessment waiting times. Available at: autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/autism-assessment-waiting-times-5

Further reading

BBC (2024) Eighteen-year wait for adult autism assessments. Available at: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy3dl92184o

BBC (2024) Adult autism assessments not 'neurodivergent friendly'. Available at: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qvzjnxgz4o

National Autistic Society (2024) Autism assessment waiting times. Available at: autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/autism-assessment-waiting-times-5

Northern Ireland Assembly (2025) To ask the Minister of Health to detail the current waiting list for adult autism assessments, broken down by Health and Social Care  
Trust Available at: aims.niassembly.gov.uk/questions/printquestionsummary.aspx?docid=424806