Autism Diagnosis Taking Too Long, UK Experts Say
Medical experts say that children with autism spectrum disorder are being diagnosed later than they should be, meaning they are not getting access to specialist services early enough.
Their comments come as they publish a study which found that the age of diagnosis has not decreased in a decade – still averaging 4-and-a-half years (55 months).
In the biggest study undertaken in the UK of children with autism, the team analysed data between 2004 and 2014. Over this period, they found that even those classed as being diagnosed early - under the age of three - were identified at age 30 months, the same as a decade before.
Even if children are diagnosed early, the vast majority face long wait-lists to begin therapy. Gemiini was developed to provide life-changing therapy even before diagnosis, when parents first suspect a problem.
The results are published today in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.