Improving support for people with autism

Healthwatch Wolverhampton wanted to understand how long people are waiting to be diagnosed with autism, what support they are receiving while they are waiting, whether the waiting time is affecting their mental health, and what improvements they feel could be made. They intended to use this insight to advise those responsible for autism services how to develop and improve support. They worked on this project between January and March 2024, gathering feedback from 70 people at community events and via an online survey.

The key themes that emerged from what people said centre around the need for information, better communication and support during the autism diagnosis process and after autism diagnosis. 

• Long waiting times: People are spending a long time on the waiting list for initial autism assessment, much longer than the NICE guidelines. 
• Lack of communication: There is a lack of communication with people while they are on the waiting list and people feel that they are having to ‘chase’ to get an update and make sure they are still on the waiting list. 
• Not enough information provided: There is not enough information provided about autism and the autism assessment process. People described having to research autism themselves to find the information they need.
•  Lack of support: People require support while they are waiting for autism diagnosis and after diagnosis, but there is a lack of support, including for mental health. People who are having to search and seek out support themselves. 
• Tailored support for adults: People would like to see tailored support for adults with autism and local peer support groups, particularly to help find employment and opportunities to meet other people with autism and make friends. 
• Stigma contributes to challenges: There is stigma surrounding autism that may contribute to the wider societal experiences of people with autism.