Introduction
This page initially focuses on Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in line with current strategic activity. Work is in progress to update this page with content for a broader range of neurodivergent conditions in the future.
What is Neurodiversity?
| Neurodiversity is a term we are starting to hear more and more often, but what does it mean? The word itself comes from ‘neuro,’ meaning the brain, and ‘diversity,’ meaning different, so it refers to the fact that our brains all behave differently. Neurodiversity is a positive term that promotes awareness, recognition and respect for the ways that our brain functions can vary from person to person. Neurodiversity can and does exist without learning disability. When we talk about neurodiversity this can cover a wide range of specific differences and neurodivergent conditions, such as dyslexia, developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The concept of neurodiversity recognises that, for those with differences, things like retaining information, learning new things and maintaining focus can be more difficult. By embracing neurodiversity, we can reduce the stigma and make it easier for people to access support and get help to build their confidence, self-esteem and resilience and ultimately, to help people to achieve their personal goals in life, learning and work. The video on the right gives an overview of neurodiversity and is presented by one of the East Riding’s Public Health Leads. |
Age Groups and Transitions
Regarding the representation of data & information for neurodiversity, system partners have recognised that consideration of life stages and transitions between them is important. The age group 0-18 is generally considered to be childhood with transition to adulthood at age 18, however, the age group 0-25 applies to children & young people including SEND.
These Transitions can reflect critical changes in care and advocacy for example at age 18, 25 and 65 when moving from children’s to adults and adults to older peoples services, where these age group distinctions are made.
Diagnosis figures are only available from the local NHS provider services and do not include data from the Right to Choose pathway or private providers. Efforts are underway to gather Right to Choose numbers via GP referrals, while private assessments remain unaccounted for.
Autism and ADHD information: Children and Young People
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in East Riding schools
The charts below present the prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) within East Riding schools in 2025, as a proportion of all special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) primary needs. These charts are taken from SEND JSNA documents compiled by the East Riding’s Children’s Performance Team, further information is available on the SEND in East Riding schools page.
| In 2025, SLCN is now the most prevalent need for SEN support pupils. ASD as a primary need in the East Riding, at 4.7%, is half the prevalence of the England (9.7%) and Y&H region (8.9%) averages. This lower prevalence of ASD in the East Riding is something that will be examined by the relevant teams and reported back on here in due course.Educational and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) |  |
| Speech, Language and Communication needs (SLCN) is the most prevalent need for children and young people with EHCPs in East Riding schools (22.8% in 2024, compared to 19.5% nationally) with proportions largely unchanged over the last few years. This is in contrast to the national picture in which the most common type of need among pupils with an EHC plan is Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which was 33% nationally, compared to 21.1% in the East Riding. Again this lower East Riding prevalence of ASD will be looked into. | |
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD): HNY ICB
NHY ICB commission an assessment, diagnosis and post diagnosis support service for children and young people in East Riding of Yorkshire with Autism – the service operates in line with NICE Guidelines. All referrals are sent via Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) within schools, with GPs referring only for young people who are not in education.
The service provides assessment, diagnosis and post diagnostic support and is delivered in partnership with Kids Charity and Matthews Hub Charity to ensure that children and young people and their families receive a range of support pre and post diagnosis. The service model has been enhanced with additional recurrent funding from 2019/20 and comprises of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) of specialist staff. There is a service specification in place with clear care pathways.
| ASD Waiting list exceeding 52 weeks Figure 3 shows that the assessment and diagnosis service East Riding waiting list exceeding 52 weeks has consistently increased week by week between 4th December 2024 and 30th April 2025, with numbers increasing from 66 to 628 over this period |
| Full East Riding ASD waiting list The full East Riding Assessment and Diagnosis Service waiting list is displayed in Figure 4, showing an actual waiting list count increase of 37%, from 2,243 in May 2024 to 3,071 in April 2025. This number is predicted to increase to 3,689 by July 2025. |
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): HNY ICB
NHY ICB commission an assessment, diagnosis and post diagnosis support service for children and young people in East Riding of East Riding of Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership commissions a CYP ADHD service from Humber Teaching NHS FT which is part of the wider Neurodiversity offer. The service offers assessment, diagnosis and post diagnostic support.
The service works in partnership with local charitable organisations in offering pre and post diagnostic support to CYP and their families. The service received additional funding to increase the number of specialist staff working within the team and an additional Locum Consultant Psychiatrist has been appointed, working across Hull and East Riding to support further reduction of the waiting list.
| ADHD waiting list exceeding 52 weeks The East Riding waiting list over 52 weeks for ADHD assessments (Figure 5) had been reasonably consistent in number between 4th December 2024 and 19th February, however, from this point onward the numbers have increased each week to a total of 297 as of 30th April 2025. | |
| Full East Riding ADHD waiting list The full East Riding waiting list is visible in Figure 6, with numbers increasing by 26% between June 2024 and April 2025 (from 1,115 to 1,404). This number is predicted to rise to 1,891 by July 2025 | |
Asset Mapping
Interactive map of SEND focussed community assets
 | The HEY Smile Foundation have produced an interactive map, available to view from this link or by clicking on the map image on the left. This map shows the SEND provision that the HEY Smile Foundation is currently aware of across the East Riding. It is designed as a practical resource for families, professionals, and community partners who support children and young people with SEND. SMILE are committed to keeping this map as accurate and up to date as possible. If you notice anything missing, if information is incorrect, or if you would like your organisation to be included, please get in touch, they are more than happy to update it. Please contact [email protected] |
Thrive Mapping
This spreadsheet shows the range of services and support available in Hull and the East Riding for children, young people and families affected by neurodiversity. It can be accessed from this link or clicking on the image on the right. |  |
Transition to Adulthood and Information for Adults
Matthew’s Hub
Matthew’s Hub supports those who are diagnosed autistic and/or ADHD without a learning disability from age 13 upwards who live in Hull or East Riding. It supports individuals with or without a formal diagnosis, including those currently on waiting lists.
The staff are all neurodivergent and bring lived, academic and working experience to their roles. They provide opportunities to socialise, peer mentorship, coaching, advice and support in relation to diagnosis, education, health, and employment.
One of the documents produced by Matthew’s Hub (accessible here: Neurodiversity prevalence, identification and person-centred support and by clicking the image below) provides a wealth of intelligence about neurodiversity, including this infographic.
Further information can be obtained from this link: Matthew’s Hub | Autism & ADHD Support in Hull & East Yorkshire
 | |
Futures +
Preparation for Adulthood (PFA) is an umbrella term used to support the transition from childhood to adulthood for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and to support them achieve the best outcomes. PFA relates to young people aged 14-25 years and the responsibility rests across Children’s and Adult’s services. The four areas of PFA are:
- Independent living
- Good health and well-being
- Community inclusion
- Education and employment
In the East Riding, the Futures+ Service is the Learning Disability, Autism and Preparing for Adulthood service in Adult Social Care. The service helps young people to think about their futures through the transition from childhood to adulthood and aims to prevent crisis and improve outcomes for young people and their families, The service works in partnership with other agencies, such as Health, Education, and Mental Health, to provide a coordinated transition plan and a wrap-around support for each young person. The service also involves young people, parents, and carers in co-producing the service design and delivery.
For more information, please view the ‘Overview of PFA in the East Riding’ section within the SEND Preparation for Adulthood JSNA page, a direct link is available here.
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Projecting forward numbers of young people and adults (aged 18 years and over)
| The POPPI and PANSI websites have estimated the number of East Riding residents, predicted to have autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), in chart on the left. They have achieved this by taking a prevalence estimate obtained by research and applied it to the East Riding population. The prevalence figures they have used is 1.8% for males and 0.2% for females. Source: https://www.pansi.org.uk/ and https://www.poppi.org.uk/ |
Autism
Voice
Group
The information contained within this section been gathered from the Autism Voice Group and represents around a dozen individual voices. The key points in the table below are an AI summary of the full document, which can be viewed by accessing this link.
| Topic area | Further detail |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis and Post‑Diagnosis Support | Autistic people consistently report issues with deficit‑based diagnostic language, long waits, lack of adult diagnostic services, and poor transitions from youth to adult systems. The group emphasises a need for reliable pre‑diagnosis information and meaningful post‑diagnosis support, including flexible peer‑group models. |
| Mental Health and Trauma | Mental health services often fail to recognise autistic needs, leading to re-traumatisation through restraint, disbelief, or misinterpretation. Discussions highlight system failures, the need for training (especially for GPs/counsellors), and autism‑specific suicide prevention. Autistic women, people with PDA/ARFID, and families require stronger tailored support. |
| Peer Support as a Core Priority | Peer support is one of the strongest, most repeated needs. Autistic‑led groups offer validation, shared understanding, and practical problem‑solving. Participants want structured, funded, co‑produced peer‑support options across the region—not just in central hubs. |
| Education and Young People | Schools require better autism and neurodiversity training, and young people need tailored, practical learning opportunities. Limited attendance from Children’s Services has restricted progress in this area. |
| Accessibility and Inclusion | Autistic people frequently encounter barriers across transport, public spaces, employment, and everyday services. Reasonable adjustments are inconsistent, delays cause significant life disruption, and stigma remains widespread. Participants call for autism‑friendly community design, flexible sensory environments, better workplace communication, and public myth‑busting. |
| Police and Justice System | While some positive relationships exist with Humberside Police, autistic people report trauma associated with restrictive practices and justice processes. There is strong appetite for collaborative training, shared dialogue, and continuity‑of‑care planning for neurodiverse people leaving custody. |
| Partnership Board and Governance | The Board needs stronger autistic representation, clearer accountability (“What happens as a result?”), and more accessible meeting outputs. Co‑production is central: autistic voices must be acted on, not just heard. Capacity issues mean workload and processes require redesign to ensure continuity and resilience. |
| Strategic Framework (Emerging Headings) | A proposed structure includes:- Housing and living environments – Universal and specialist community services – Complex support – Health and wellbeing – Safety – Carer support – Each framed across universal, low‑level, and complex tiers. |
| Overall Message | Autistic people want a compassionate, accessible, co‑produced system that recognises diversity, reduces harm, and builds supportive communities. Peer support, respectful language, timely services, trauma‑informed mental health care, and practical inclusion across everyday life are central pillars shaping the new strategy. |
ADHD mural
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s staff disability support network, neurodivergent
sub-group have created an ADHD mural.
This mural was carried out as part of a co-production exercise with ICB colleagues to inform future service design. It contains information about ADHD that the group have found helpful, either to themselves individually or collectively. The design of this mural allows users to see relationships between their thoughts by using colour. It also enables the discovery of hidden complexities and connections to facilitate decision making, effective brainstorming, exploration, and planning.
The mural can be viewed below in the PDF document (please use the zoom tools to be able to read the text) and can also downloaded using the green download button.
Adult Diagnosis Services | Adult Community Support |
| NHS The process for Adults to request NHS Autism and ADHD assessment starts by having a conversation with the GP to organise referral. – Information for seeking Autism Diagnosis from the National Autistic Society Diagnosis – Hull and East Riding NHS Autism diagnosis service Adult Autism Services | Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust ADHD and Autism Right to Choose pathway information: – Your choices in the NHS – Diagnosis pathways for Adult ADHD | ADHD UK | Matthew’s Hub Matthew’s Hub supports those who are diagnosed autistic and/or ADHD without a learning disability from age 13 upwards who live in Hull or East Riding. They also offer help to those waiting for diagnostic assessment. The staff are all neurodivergent and bring lived, academic and working experience to their roles. They provide opportunities to socialise, peer mentorship, coaching, advice and support in relation to diagnosis, education, health, and employment. Website: Matthew’s Hub | Autism & ADHD Support in Hull & East Yorkshire |
STILL TO DO:
Autism Voice
( Description and Contact details from PM to follow)
Further mapping of adult Autism/ADHD community support will be underway during 2026
LD/TRANS/SUICIDE cases (Zoe/Ryan – JS to do)
LSWD info
JS to do. (R Bramall)
Resources
Please visit the links below for further information on neurodiversity
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Taskforce – NHS England
- Autism Central – England’s Peer Education Programme
- Autism Waiting Time Statistics – NHS England
- Neurodiversity Dashboard (Humber and North Yorkshire ICB) (requires NHS.net email address)
- Neurodiversity prevalence, identification and person-centred support (Matthew’s Hub, 2025)
- The Brain Charity – Neurodivergent, neurodiversity and neurotypical: a guide to the terms
- National Autistic Society – Varying support needs
- NHS England – Learning Disability Services Statistics (Learning Disabilities and Autism)
- NHS England – Learning Disability and Autism