New research project: Autism and mental health for children and young people
Healthwatch Wandsworth speaks to the local community about their experiences with health and social care services. We then share this information with services to make changes.
Based on feedback from local people, Healthwatch Wandsworth, as the independent champion for users of health and social care, is focusing on autism diagnosis for 0-8 year olds in 2024-5.
Across Wandsworth and England there is an unprecedented number of people seeking an autism diagnosis and wait times to move through the autism diagnosis pathway are lengthy. Often this means people are not getting the support they need as they wait. These delays in diagnosis and support have severe impacts on mental health (Morris J (2024) “The rapidly growing waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments" QualityWatch: Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation).
We will survey the families and carers of children and young people with autism spectrum condition to explore the following questions:
- What does a ‘good’ 0-8 year old autism spectrum condition diagnostic pathway look like?
- How can children and families get the support they need without a diagnosis?
If you’re a family member or carer of a child who is seeking or already has an autism diagnosis, we want to hear from you. Please complete this survey and/or share it with others in the community to make your and their voice heard.
We are also building a directory of support and resources for children and young people with autism or social and communication challenges. This page will be regularly updated to provide up to date contact information.
