Thea Stein, of the Nuffield Trust, said many schools expect an assessment and formal diagnosis of ADHD or autism to access support
It comes after figures published by NHS Digital last month revealed the number of patients waiting for an autism assessment in England is at its highest level since current data started in April 2019. New analysis of the data by Nuffield Trust found 79% of people who had been waiting 13 weeks or longer had not had their first appointment with a specialist, up from 44% in December 2019.
Ms Stein warned the current health service model is “obsolete” when it comes to dealing with surging demand for autism and ADHD assessment and treatment.“The challenge is that we have an obsolete health service model in place to deal with this avalanche of need. “Pumping more money into the current model certainly isn’t the solution: a radical rethink is required.”