Autism pathway report

Healthwatch Derbyshire conducted some research over a 12 month period to better understand the experiences of parents and carers of using the Autism Pathway. The team conducted unstructured interviews which were digitally recorded and then transcribed. 26 families were interviewed in total.

Several overarching themes were outlined in the report. The themes identified were education, impact on families, communication, waiting times, GPs, child and adolescent mental health services, diagnosis, support during the diagnosis, and post diagnosis support. These themes were explored in detail and a range of feedback was received. All families indicated that they had experienced long waiting times to see specialists. Families also spoke extensively about the impact of receiving a diagnosis and how this made a difference in being able to access the right support.

The report made a number of recommendations. Parents wanted more support from professionals and they expressed the importance of being listened to when they were sharing their concerns. Another recommendation was for information to be better shared between relevant professionals and agencies once a diagnosis had been made.

The report included a response from the Derbyshire Children’s Autism Coordinating Group. They welcomed the report and indicated that the findings would inform a review.