A survey of autistic adults, relatives and clinical teams in the United Kingdom: And Delphi process consensus statements on optimal autism diagnostic assessment for adults.

The survey was voluntary, and responders were older and more likely to report anxiety or depression than non-responders, so the adult sample may not represent all autistic adults seeking assessment. Only 45 relatives and 35 clinicians completed the first survey, so family and service-side views are less well represented than adult views. The Delphi process used only two rounds, was completed by 27 clinicians in round 1 and 29 in round 2, and did not include autistic adults or relatives in that stage. About 90% of participants self-reported as White British, and people with intellectual disability were under-represented, so findings may not fit these groups. Open-text responses and post-diagnosis support were reported elsewhere, so this article does not present the full survey findings. The study describes experiences and clinician consensus; it does not test whether the agreed service statements improve waiting times, diagnostic accuracy, satisfaction, or patient outcomes.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Autistica, a UK autism research charity, and sponsored by Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, which provided funding through Research Capability Funding.

Do not read the 11 consensus statements as evidence that these service changes improve adult autism diagnosis. They are expert recommendations from a survey and Delphi process, and the study did not test their effect on waiting times, diagnostic accuracy, satisfaction, or patient outcomes.