NHS waiting lists for autism assessments hit record high after a 'seismic' ... trends now
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A 'seismic' increase in autism awareness has pushed waiting lists to record highs, experts say.
The NHS waiting list for autism assessment is the longest since current records began five years ago.
Charities warned the lengthy waits can be damaging to patients and called for urgent action to meet the rise in demand.
Figures released by NHS Digital shows both the total number of waits for an assessment and waits longer than 13 weeks are the highest they have been since data collection started.
Last December, 172,040 people were waiting for an assessment, up from 117,020 a year earlier and more than five times the 32,220 in December 2019.
The NHS waiting list for autism assessment is the longest since current records began five years ago and charities have warned the wait is having a negative impact on patients
According to the World Health Organisation, about one in 100 children across the globe has the condition (stock image)
Those waiting at least 13 weeks stood at 147,070, six times the number in 2019 (24,250) and up from 97,170 a year earlier.
Experts said the figures were in large part due to the growing recognition of the spectrum disorder, which was only widely diagnosed as its own condition this century.
Dr Conor Davidson, autism champion for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: 'Public awareness of autism has significantly increased in recent
