Currently in the UK, the waiting time for an autism assessment is up to two and a half years. This is a disaster for children that are transitioning for example from primary school to secondary school that need evidence and assessments from teachers to help with their case. This becomes even more difficult when children have started new schools and the evidence collecting process has to be restarted while teachers get to know the child.

It’s also incredibly difficult for children to transition without a diagnosis, they start schools with parents having to fight for SEN teams to recognise a child’s needs - and without the proof of a set diagnosis - can be impossible.

I see so many stories of parents on the edge, without support and help for them and their children as they struggle through without diagnosis and it’s just so wrong.

The NHS is currently inconsistent across the UK, with some parts of England accepting private autism assessments and others not accepting them. If private assessments were accepted, with dedicated approved sites across the UK in place that followed NHS guidelines, then not only would children benefit whose parents could afford private assessment, but children whose parents could not afford private assessment would also benefit, as waiting times with the NHS would dramatically reduce.

I’m sure that some people would disagree with parents with higher incomes being able to achieve diagnosis quicker, however there are parents out there fundraising to get their children seen by private clinicians, there are parents like me that don’t have a high income but would save money to prioritise my son’s chance of a faster referral. People should be allowed to have the CHOICE.

I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to sign.