A young woman who battled for two years for an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis described waiting times as ‘awful’ as latest NHS figures show over 90% of people seeking a diagnosis in South Yorkshire are waiting longer than professionally recommended.
According to the NHS, a person should receive an appointment for an ASD assessment no longer than 13 weeks after an initial referral from their GP.
However, of the 4,095 people registered under the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board in June 2023, roughly nine in 10 were left waiting longer than this, an increase on the same period for 2022.
Maya Lauryn Clarke, 20, from Sheffield, had a similar experience after receiving an official autism diagnosis in September 2023, following a two year ordeal.
Miss Clarke says she always felt different to others around her, exhibiting what she now understands were typical autistic traits, but it wasn’t until her first year at Sheffield Hallam University in 2021 when she thought she might be autistic and decided to seek medical advice.
She faced a three month wait for a GP appointment and claims that when the appointment did come around, her GP was dismissive and she was left feeling as though she had to battle to be listened to.
She says: “The GP said something like ‘why do you need a diagnosis, what’s the point if you’ve gotten through your life so far?’ and was reluctant to give me a referral.
“They told me it was going to take a long time, but I said I didn’t mind waiting, I would just really like to know one day. I think he knew I wasn’t going to back down.”
Miss Clarke did get a referral for an ASD assessment, but was left waiting a further year and three months for an appointment, almost five times longer than the recommended 13 weeks.
She says she was close to giving up all together due to the wait, but thanks to the support of her mum, Belinda Magginess-Williamson, she saw her eventual diagnosis through.
She said: “I think the waiting times are awful. In that time you could decide you don’t want to take the assessment anymore, you could even kill yourself.
“Life changing decisions can happen. People could drop out of university because they can’t get the support or relationships could break down.
“Massive life changes could happen within that waiting time, and those problems could be solved with a diagnosis.”
Now her life has changed for the better due to her official diagnosis, being now able to understand her feelings and explain her condition to others so they can understand and accommodate her needs with more compassion.
The marketing student creates content online, sharing her story to break the stigma around living with autism and to encourage others who are facing the prolonged wait for answers to stick with it, despite the difficulties
She wants to be part of the growing voice that is calling for those in authority to act now to get the waiting times under control, not just locally but nationally.
For more information about ASD and for help and resources if you are struggling with long waiting times, you can visit www.autism.org.uk
To watch Maya’s content about navigating life with autism, click here.