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Publication, Part of

Autism Statistics Quarter 1 (April to June) 2019-20 to Quarter 3 (October to December) 2020-21

Experimental statistics,

Publication Date:
10 Jun 2021
Date Range:
01 Apr 2019 to 31 Dec 2020

Current Chapter

Autism Statistics Quarter 1 (April to June) 2019-20 to Quarter 3 (October to December) 2020-21

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Methodology

Removal of Referral to Diagnosis component

As these statistics are undergoing constant development and improvement, the decision has been taken to remove the referral to diagnosis component until further analysis has been completed to assess the reliability of diagnosis records.

10 June 2021 09:00 AM

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Summary

These statistics present a group of measures on waiting times for autism spectrum disorder diagnostic pathways, based on the time between a referral for suspected autism and the first care contact associated with that referral.

There are also multiple breakdowns based on the progression and outcomes of those referrals.

Each of these measures contributes to an overall picture of waiting times for diagnostic pathways. The approach is outlined in the methodology section of this publication.

These are experimental statistics and are published to involve users and stakeholders in their development to build in quality and reliability at an early stage.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an effect is beginning to appear in the quality and coverage of some of our statistics. We are starting to see differing patterns in the submitted data. Therefore, data should be interpreted with care over the period of the pandemic. For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now undertaking some early analysis and reporting to help with monitoring of any impact using existing finalised MHSDS data as well as provisional MHSDS data. The true nature of the impact COVID-19 has had on autism waiting time statistics will not be understood in full for some time.

Waiting time from referral to first care contact

In quarter 3 2020-21 (the latest data), there were 13,988 new referrals to specialist mental health services for suspected autism

Waiting time from referral to care contact dashboard

Open the interactive dashboard

This tool is in Microsoft PowerBI which does not fully support all accessibility needs.If you need further assistance, please contact us for help. 

Last edited: 6 July 2021 9:37 am