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.
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 below gives an overview of neurodiversity and is presented by one of the East Riding’s Public Health Leads.
Different Ways of Thinking, Learning
& Experiencing the World
Every neurodivergent person is unique, and no two people will experience or present their neurodivergence in exactly the same way. Neurodiversity can influence how people absorb and retain information, learn new skills, maintain focus, manage change and respond to everyday demands.
Understanding neurodiversity can help people better understand themselves and others, provide a shared language to describe experiences such as sensory overwhelm or difficulties with concentration, and support more inclusive environments at home, in education, in work and across communities.
It is also important to move beyond stereotypes; for example, autism cannot be identified by a single characteristic such as eye contact, speech or social interaction, and experiences vary widely between individuals.
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.
Key Factors Influencing
Neurodivergent Experiences
Two important concepts that help explain neurodivergent experiences are executive functioning and sensory processing.
Executive functioning is often described as the brain’s “control panel” and includes skills such as planning, prioritising, organising, remembering information, regulating emotions, controlling impulses, maintaining attention and starting tasks. Difficulties in these areas can affect education, employment, relationships and independent living.
Sensory processing refers to how the brain receives and responds to sensory information, including sound, light, touch, smell, taste and movement. For some people, busy or unpredictable environments can be overwhelming and affect communication, learning, emotional wellbeing and participation in daily activities.
Neurodivergence may also present differently across genders and can change throughout life. Puberty, pregnancy, menopause and changes in hormone levels may influence how neurodivergent traits are experienced and the type of support required. Many people also have co-occurring conditions, such as autism and ADHD, alongside anxiety, dyslexia or Tourette syndrome.
Recognition and access to support are not always equal, with factors such as ethnicity, poverty, parental education, access to assessment services and long waiting times contributing to inequalities in diagnosis and support.
Evidence also shows that some neurodivergent people face increased risks of mental health difficulties, self-harm, suicide, exploitation, victimisation, domestic abuse, sexual violence, online harms and involvement with the criminal justice system, highlighting the importance of early identification, appropriate support and safeguarding.
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 are dependent on the private provider and patient informing their GP.
Neurodiversity and healthy ageing
Autism and ADHD are lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions, but both remain underdiagnosed, particularly among older people whose differences may have been masked, misunderstood or attributed to mental ill health, personality or cognitive ageing.
Autism and ADHD are lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions, yet both remain substantially underdiagnosed among older adults. Many people now in midlife or later life grew up when awareness was limited, diagnostic criteria were narrower and services largely focused on children.
Less stereotypical presentations may have been overlooked, while masking and compensatory strategies can make differences less visible. In later life, autistic or ADHD-related traits may also be misattributed to anxiety, depression, personality, cognitive decline or “normal ageing”.
Older adults can therefore reach later life without an explanation for longstanding differences in communication, attention, sensory processing, organisation or social interaction, and without access to appropriate advice or support.
The infographic below highlights the growing proportion undiagnosed as the population gets older.
Figure 1. The percentage of diagnosed and undiagnosed autistic people in the United Kingdom, stratified into age groups. Source: Stewart and Happé (2025)
Autism and ADHD are associated with a range of co-occurring physical and mental health needs, although experiences vary considerably between individuals. These include poorer mental health, psychological distress, anxiety and depression, alongside links with other forms of neurodivergence and, for some people, substance use or behavioural difficulties. Evidence also points to a greater physical health burden across midlife and distinct health and cognitive profiles among autistic adults.
These outcomes need to be understood within a life-course context: barriers in education, employment, relationships and healthcare, together with masking, burnout, social exclusion and unmet communication or sensory needs, may accumulate over time. This can make it harder to manage long-term conditions, maintain independence, navigate services and sustain the relationships and routines that support healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing services therefore need to recognise neurodivergence across the life course rather than treating autism and ADHD primarily as childhood conditions. Age-inclusive diagnostic pathways should be able to distinguish lifelong neurodevelopmental differences from mental illness, dementia and other age-related changes. A diagnosis in later life can bring relief and self-understanding, reduce self-blame, help place previous experiences in context and open access to medication, practical strategies, peer support or reasonable adjustments.
However, appropriate support should not depend entirely on obtaining a formal diagnosis. Primary care, mental health, older people’s services and social care should be neurodiversity-informed, make communication and sensory environments easier to navigate, address co-occurring physical and mental health needs, and adapt support around each person’s strengths, preferences and changing circumstances.
ASD: England Overview
National evidence suggests that around 1–2% of children in England are autistic based on population surveys, while school‑based data indicates that approximately 2.5–3% of pupils are identified with autism as a primary or secondary special educational need. Recorded prevalence has increased substantially over time, reflecting improved awareness, identification and diagnostic practice rather than a confirmed rise in underlying incidence. Autism is more commonly identified in boys than girls, although national evidence suggests that autism in girls remains under‑diagnosed. Overall, existing data is best interpreted as representing known and identified need, rather than the full prevalence of autism among children and young people.
The PowerBi dashboard below provides information on several ASD indicators at England and ICB level. It can be interacted with in the window below, however if this is too small then please use this link to view a full screen sized version.
ASD: in East Riding schools
This section provides information about the prevalence of ASD within East Riding schools during 2025, It specifically focusses on those children who have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) or have SEN Support.
East Riding school children with SEN Support
In 2025, SLCN is 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. , as a proportion of all special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) primary needs. Further information is available on the ‘SEND in East Riding schools’ page.
East Riding school children with an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP)
Nationally, 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. Please refer to the following East Riding JSNA pages for further information: ‘SEND in East Riding schools’ and ‘EHCPs maintained by the East Riding’.
ASD: Humber and North Yorkshire 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.
Between April 2025 and March 2026 there were on average 54 referrals per month made to the ASD team in the East Riding. In April 2022 the East Riding ASD caseload was 338 children and young people and this number has been increasing ever since. By April 2026 the ASD caseload numbered 1,596 (a 372% increase on April 2022). See chart below (note that this chart uses moving 3 month averages at each time point on the X axis).
Source: ePiPH&NY
ADHD: England Overview
NHS England estimates that around 618,000 children and young people aged 0–17 in England have ADHD, representing approximately one quarter (24.7%) of the total population estimated to have ADHD nationally.
- These figures are based on NICE prevalence assumptions (around 5% of children and young people) applied to population data and therefore represent estimates rather than confirmed diagnoses. Reliable local-level estimates are not currently possible due to uncertainty in the underlying data.
- Demand for ADHD assessment among children and young people is high. As of December 2025, 165,195 open referrals (29.4%) for a possible ADHD diagnosis related to children and young people aged 0–17. In addition, a large number of referrals for people aged 5–24 are recorded through Community Health Services without an age breakdown, meaning that the total number of children and young people potentially waiting for assessment is likely to be substantially higher than the headline CYP figure alone.
- Waiting times for ADHD assessment are described as lengthy, with only 9% of children and young people having waited less than 13 weeks by December 2025. By contrast, around two‑thirds (65.8%) of children and young people had been waiting over a year for an ADHD assessment, highlighting significant delays in access to diagnostic services during key developmental stages.
Source: UK Parliament
ADHD: Humber and North Yorkshire ICB
HNY ICB 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.
In the 12 months between April 2025 and March 2026 there were on average 30 referrals assessments for ADHD in the East Riding, this was a decrease compared to the previous 3 years. In April 2022 the East Riding ADHD caseload for children and young people was 540. In the periods since, the numbers did see a consistent period of increase to April 2024 (where caseloads reached 1,446) before a sharp decline to October 2024. Since then the numbers have slowly started to climb again, with April 2026 reporting a caseload of 779. See chart below (note that this chart uses moving 3 month averages at each time point on the X axis).
Source: ePiPH&NY
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 below.
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 by clicking on the image directly below.
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 or 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 Autism.
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.
The POPPI and PANSI websites have estimated the number of East Riding residents, predicted to have autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), in the chart below.
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/
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
- 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.
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.
The 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.
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 as a PDF document, accessed via this link or clicking on the main image below. Please use the zoom tools to be able to read the text.
Adult Diagnosis Services
NHS
The process for Adults to request NHS Autism and ADHD assessment starts by having a conversation with the GP to organise referral.
- Hull and East Riding NHS Autism diagnosis service:
Adult Autism Services | Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
ADHD and Autism Right to Choose pathway information:
Adult Community Support
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.
The NHS England ‘Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities’ interactive model has a number of interactive menus from which different conditions can be selected, as well as different areas (e.g. region, ICB, Sub-ICB or England overall).
Click here to view the dashboard.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Taskforce – NHS England
- Autism Central – England’s Peer Education Programme
- Autism Waiting Time Statistics – NHS England
- Employee support for neurodivergents and their colleagues
- Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, Experimental Statistics 2024 to 2025 – NHS England Digital
- Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, Experimental Statistics 2024 to 2025 – NHS England Digital (dashboard link)
- Learning from Lives and Deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR)
- National Autistic Society – Varying support needs
- Neurodiversity Dashboard (Humber and North Yorkshire ICB) (requires NHS.net email address)
- Neurodiversity in business – a hub for neurodiversity information
- Neurodiversity prevalence, identification and person-centred support (Matthew’s Hub, 2025)
- NHS England – Learning Disability and Autism
- NHS England – Learning Disability Services Statistics (Learning Disabilities and Autism)
- Strong Bodies, Supported Brain: Exercise and Neurodiversity (Creased Puddle Blog)
- The Brain Charity – Neurodivergent, neurodiversity and neurotypical: a guide to the terms