Autism: North Yorkshire Council told long waits for assessments are harmful

Families have told North Yorkshire Council they are concerned about long waits to get children assessed for autism

Families have told a council long waits for autism assessments are harming children's mental health.

Bosses at North Yorkshire Council are asking the public to help shape its autism strategy for 2024-2027.

According to a draft version of the document, 9% of children under 10 in North Yorkshire wait more than 13 weeks for assessments.

For children between 10 and 17, the proportion waiting longer than the recommended time increases to 11%.

In addition to concerns over waiting times, the draft strategy states families had highlighted a "lack of support" during and after the process.

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Autism is a developmental disability which affects how people perceive the world, communicate and interact with others.

About 1% of the UK population is autistic, which would equate to 6,155 people in North Yorkshire based on the 2021 Census.

The new draft document builds on the previous local strategy and joins up areas including education, employment, housing and the NHS in a bid to improve how adults and children with autism access services.

Under pressure

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service North Yorkshire Council has been under significant pressure to deliver special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in recent years. There are currently eight council-maintained special schools and two special academies in North Yorkshire, including Springwater School in Starbeck and Mowbray School in Ripon.

But since 2016, the number of children and young people in North Yorkshire with identified SEND and an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has increased by more than 110%.

There are now over 4,500 children in the county with an EHCP but there are not enough places at council-maintained special schools to accommodate them all.

Almost 600 children are forced to go to schools outside of the county or to independent and non-maintained schools which costs the council millions of pounds every year.

The council has proposed to build a new special school for autistic children at the former Woodfield school site in Harrogate.