The evidence
The research that helped shape what we are making.
What the research tells us
Waiting lists for autism assessment in England are long and growing. Support after a diagnosis is often not offered at all. There is no current national plan in England.
This is what our videos are for. Our approach explains how we are going about it.
Recent data
294,792 people in England were waiting for an autism assessment on 30 June 2026.
256,017 of them, or 86.8%, had been waiting at least 13 weeks. This counts all ages.
This is a snapshot. The figure is updated monthly and has risen at every recent release.
NHS England Digital, Autism Statistics July 2025 to June 2026, published 13 August 2026.
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/july-2025-to-june-2026 (opens in a new tab)
43.1% of autistic adults had no follow-up appointment after their diagnosis.
UK survey of 343 autistic adults.
Wigham, Ingham, Le Couteur, Wilson, Ensum and Parr, Autism, 2023, 27(2), 344 to 355.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613221097502 (opens in a new tab)
41.9% of adults diagnosed in adulthood received no post-diagnostic support of any kind.
Systematic review of UK provision.
Norris, Harvey and Hull, Autism, 2025.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13623613241273073 (opens in a new tab)
34.0% of autistic adults are in employment. For non-disabled adults it is 82.0%.
House of Commons Library, briefing CBP-10389, November 2025.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10389/ (opens in a new tab)
94.4% of autistic adults surveyed said their diagnosis had made a difference to them.
The survey did not record whether they meant a positive difference.
Wigham et al., 2023.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613221097502 (opens in a new tab)
Figures checked 6 September 2026.
The House of Lords
"Numerous autistic adults told us they had been offered no support at all, sometimes leaving them feeling abandoned."
House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Committee, Time to deliver, HL Paper 205, 23 November 2025, paragraph 269.
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ldselect/ldautismact/205/205.pdf (opens in a new tab)
National policy
The national autism strategy for England ran from 2021 to 2026. Its period ended in July 2026. No replacement has been published.
The statutory guidance behind the Autism Act 2009 was issued in March 2015 and has never been updated.
House of Commons Library, briefing CBP-10231.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10231/ (opens in a new tab)