Average wait times for autism and ADHD assessments in Northamptonshire have almost doubled over past three years

The average wait times for autism and ADHD assessments have almost doubled over the past three years in the county, recent NHS data has shown.

As waiting lists continue to lengthen, parents have shared their concerns about the lack of transparency in the service.

Many say they have no idea when their child will be seen or when they will receive a diagnosis.

They say this has a real-life effect on the level of support that is accessible both at home and in education.

The Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) said it had seen a large number of referrals for autism and ADHD assessments following the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to an increase in wait times.

It added that it is working with system partners to try to increase its capacity for assessments and reduce waits.

‘He wasn’t taken seriously’ without a diagnosis

Shannon Hitchcock, 37, from Northampton, said her son, Cassian, eight, had first been put on the waiting list for an ADHD and autism assessment in August 2022.

More than two-and-a-half-years later, the family is still waiting to receive an autism diagnosis and has no idea when it could come.

She says that life without a diagnosis is harder for him, making it difficult for schools and organisations to understand his needs.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), she said: “Teachers don’t show the same level of understanding and empathy without that diagnosis. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases he wasn’t taken seriously.

“You just feel like you’re living in limbo all the time. You get letters with no timeline, no date, no real indication of anything that’s going to happen.”

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the LDRS, the average wait time from an ADHD and autism assessment referral to the first appointment was 530 days – almost a-year-and-a-half – in 2024. This has risen each year from an average wait time of 287 days in 2022.

Similarly, the size of the wait lists has increased.

The Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) reported that 4,099 children were waiting for assessments in March 2025, up from 2,497 children just 18 months prior.

Shannon said it felt like a ‘massive victory’ when Cassian received his ADHD results in November 2024, as it helped her understand why he was struggling and put in place measures to keep him safe.

She said: “The sooner the assessments are done and you have that diagnosis, the sooner you can put these therapies in place that help them get to where they should be. With the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis, we could start looking into other coping mechanisms.

“I feel like they know what the timescales are and they’re not prepared to say because they know it’s not acceptable. It feels never-ending as a SEND parent – that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”

‘My children get one childhood’

Northamptonshire mum Sam Flitton, 46, said she had to fight for all three of her children to get SEND assessments and specialist provision, but that the wait for her youngest daughter, Eva-Rose, 10, had been the most difficult.

Sam said: “Just some transparency is needed. To this day, I have no idea where my child is on that list.

“None of the system is joined up which makes life incredibly difficult. Adding in lengthy wait times to each sector means the children go without their basic human rights being met.”

She said Eva-Rose has also been waiting on the ADHD and autism pathway for more than two years and that the lack of diagnosis meant it was harder to access potential support streams, such as further speech and language therapy and an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

After seeking out alternatives, her daughter has recently been accepted on the ‘Right to Choose’ pathway, which allows patients to go to private clinics if the wait times for an assessment are excessively long.

Sam now says she finally has a timeline for Eva-Rose and should get an assessment in the next 12 months.

She added: “I’ve actively sought out a Right to Choose pathway. If I didn’t act, we would still be sat on a non-existent, no-outlook NHS waitlist.

"I would still be here with no idea when that diagnosis is going to come, and when she’s going to get the validation she deserves if she’s struggling.

“My children get one childhood and that should not include watching their mother on her knees begging for scraps of support. The impact on the children, particularly those who are in school, can be unbelievably damaging.”

‘Large number’ of referrals led to an increase in waiting times

An NHFT spokesman said: “Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing safe, quality care for our patients, services users and carers.

"In line with national trends, we have seen a large number of referrals for autism and ADHD assessments in the period following the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to an increase in our waiting times.

“We recognise the challenge this can have for families and are working with system partners to consider how capacity for assessments can be increased and waiting times reduced.”

According to FOI data, the Trust received 1,810 referrals for assessment in 2022, peaking at a further 2,583 requests in 2023 and another 2,262 applications in 2024.

The spokesman continued: “While on the waiting list, support is provided to young people by our carer peer support workers as required. In addition, useful resources are being shared, and volunteers are making phone calls to support families.

“The feedback from families on this support has been predominantly positive. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide regular updates on individual children’s place on the waitlist, as the team’s capacity is focused on carrying out assessments.”