Children in Jersey wait 20 months for autism diagnosis

The backlog has been partly caused by cancelled appointments during the coronavirus pandemic

Some children in Jersey are facing a 20-month wait to find out if they have autism, following a backlog of cases.

The delay has been caused by assessment clinics being cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and an increase in demand, the island's government said.

There are currently 73 children waiting for a diagnostic assessment.

The government said it was hoping to outsource assessment services temporarily to manage the backlog.

'Short-term measure'

Charity Autism Jersey said the delay was holding some children back.

Putting a delay on any expected services to help children grow and develop "especially within education as well, will have that impact", charity CEO Chris Dunne said.

The Government of Jersey said staff were "working additional hours" to address the increase in demand and it was "seeking providers that have the capacity to manage the backlog".

It said it was a "short-term measure" but confirmed no-one would be expected to travel out of Jersey for assessments.

During lockdown, assessment clinics were cancelled for four months, from March to July 2020, a government spokesperson said.

Previously, in the first quarter of 2020, children had to wait for an average of three-and-a-half months from referral to a completed assessment.

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