Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote and facilitate the diagnosis of autism in children between the ages of two and four years.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline ‘Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis’ recommends that an assessment for autism is begun within three months of referral and includes information on signs and symptoms of possible autism in pre-school children.

Early-years providers must have arrangements in place to identify children with special educational needs or disabilities, including autism. In addition when a child is aged between two and three, early years practitioners must review progress and provide parents with a short written summary of their child’s development, focusing in particular on communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development.

Earlier this year, NHS England, supported by the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, initiated a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups and local authorities aimed at a better idea of the challenges in securing timely autism diagnosis across all ages. To support the effective development of diagnostic services for autism, the Department is working with NHS Digital and system partners to ensure data on autism is included in future requirements for the Mental Health Services Data Set.