Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of covid-19 lockdowns on diagnosing autism in (a) toddlers and (b) school age children.
No specific assessment has been made.
In 2021/2022 we are investing £7 million to help local systems improve their diagnostic pathways and address any backlogs. In addition, we are providing £3.5 million to support children while they await diagnostic assessments.