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Darlington Autism Update 2023/2024

National Context

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive, communicate and interact with others, although it is important to recognise that there are differing opinions on this and not all autistic people see themselves as disabled.  With an estimated 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK – most people probably know someone who is autistic. In addition, there are an estimated 3 million family members and carers of autistic people in the UK (National Autistic Society).

Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. Autism varies widely and is often referred to as a spectrum condition, because of the range of ways it can impact on people and the different level of support they may need across their lives. While autism is not a learning disability, around 4 in 10 autistic people have a learning disability (Autistica). 

Some autistic people will need very little or no support in their everyday lives while others may need high levels of care, such as 24-hour support in residential care.  People may need help with a range of things, from forming friendships, coping at school, managing at work, or being able to get out and about in the community. In this strategy, we also talk about neurodiversity, which refers to the different ways the brain can work and interpret information.  It is estimated that around 1 in 10 people across the UK are neurodivergent, meaning that the brain functions, learns and processes information differently (Embracing Complexity Coalition, 2019).   

  • Legal Obligations / Statutory Framework: Autism Act 2009; Two strategies published in 2010 and 2014.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-autism-an-update-to-the-government-adult-autism-strategy; 2019 - inclusion of Autism as a priority within the NHS Long Term Plan; 2021-26 Autism Strategy; 2022 Health and Care Act. 

  • The prevalence of Autism in adults is about 1.1%, with relative consistency across studies.

  • The proportion of males to females diagnosed with ASD varies across studies but always shows a greater proportion of males to females, mostly ranging from 3:1 to 5:1. 

  • Almost 8 out of 10 autistic people experience mental health difficulties (Cassidy and Rogers, 2017).

  • % of autistic people with mental health problems is 4 x higher (51%) than people without (11%) (Taylor 2021). 

  • More than 25% of autistic people receive two or more diagnoses of mental health problem (Taylor 2021). 
  • Around 15% of autistic people (compares to 2.8% of non-autistic people) are hospitalised due to a mental health problem (Taylor 2021). 
  • The prevalence of autism within an adult psychiatric outpatient service was 19% with another 5 - 10% having just sub threshold symptoms (Nyrenius et al 2022) 
  • Cassidy and Rogers (2017) 
    • More than 6 out of 10 autistic people have considered suicide. 
    • More than 3 out of 10 autistic adults have attempted suicide. 
  • Cassidy et al (2022) 
    • Autism and autistic traits are risk factors for suicidal behaviour - study showed that evidence of autism was significantly higher in those who died by suicide (11.8%) than the 1.1% prevalence of autism in the UK.  When autistic traits were taken into account this rose to 41%. 
  • The management and support of an autistic people and their families, partners, and/or carers incurs substantial costs to the health and social care services and the wider public sector [National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2012]. 
  • Autism costs the country an estimated £32 billion per year, making it the single most expensive health condition, exceeding cancer, heart disease, and stroke [Buckley, 2017]. 
  • The total cost, including accommodation, treatment, loss of earnings, and health care, for an autistic person over their life span has been estimated to range between £1.5 million to £0.92 million for a person with or without intellectual disability, respectively [Howes, 2018].

Darlington Content

TEWV Diagnostic Waits (276 referrals in the 2022-2023) 

0-1 Month 1-2 Months 2-3 Months 3-6 Months 6-9 Months 9-12 Months 1-2 Years 2-3 Years Over 3 Years Total
46  40  38  74  31  17  34  5  7  322 

 

Adult Social Care (Autistic People on caseload) 

Primary Support Reason Clients
Learning Disability Support  82 
Mental Health Support  15 
No PSR  3 
Physical Support – Personal Care Support  4 
Sensory Support – Support for Visual Impairment   1 
Social Support – Support for Social Isolation / Other  1 
Support with Memory & Cognition   2 
Total  108 

Of the 108 people with autism, 63 also have an additional health condition. 

A Darlington response to the National Autism strategy is in development across partners and people with lived experience.

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