Have your say in this important inquiry into pathways for autism and ADHD diagnosis and support in Scotland
The Scottish Parliament is seeking your experiences to inform their inquiry into ADHD and ASD pathways and support.
https://engage.parliament.scot...
The inquiry seeks to:
- understand why waiting times for diagnosis and management of ADHD and ASD are reportedly long, including the drivers of increasing demand
- understand how these conditions are diagnosed and managed
- understand the impact of delays on individuals
- explore solutions to improve capacity of services, referral pathways and support.
The inquiry will consider the following in relation to neurodevelopmental pathways for ADHD and ASD:
- referral pathways
- assessment, criteria and treatment thresholds
- waiting times
- "waiting well" and support pre-diagnosis
- transitions between services
- funding
- workforce
- the impact on individuals of receiving a diagnosis or waiting for a diagnosis
The Inquiry Process
The first stage of this process was a briefing to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee to inform the inquiry, and SWAN met with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) in May to contribute our perspective and the experiences and priorities of autistic women, girls and non-binary people to this briefing.
You can read the briefing on the Scottish Parliament website. You can also read three short blogs focusing on some of the key issues in the briefing on the SPICe blog website.
Ahead of the inquiry, which will take place in autumn 2025, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has now launched a public Call for Evidence:
"The Committee wants to hear from individuals, or their families, who have experience of ADHD or ASD and the pathways to treatment and support for these conditions. We also want to hear from individuals who work supporting those with ADHD or ASD.
We’re keen to hear personal experience, including any issues faced in terms of diagnosis, waiting times and access to care and support. We are also keen to hear positive experiences and examples of good practice which could potentially be rolled out across all of Scotland’s NHS health boards.
The views we gather will help inform our scrutiny of these important matters and provide valuable information which Committee Members can use when they question support organisations, healthcare providers and the Scottish Government in future evidence sessions."
You can input to the consultation via the Your Priorities platform - Call for Evidence on ADHD and ASD pathways and support
The consultation is open until 18 August 2025.
We urge you to take part in this consultation, as your views and experiences will contribute evidence to be considered as part of the parliamentary inquiry.
More information on the inquiry can be found on the Scottish Parliament’s website - ADHD and ASD pathways and support | Scottish Parliament Website
What does the Consultation involve?
There are only 3 questions which you reply to in free text, so you can choose how much time to spend on your responses.
You can submit your experiences in writing or upload and audio or video file, in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language.
Follow the link and click on the purple 'add your experience' button - further down this first page you can also choose to read through other people's responses.
You'll be asked to create a log-in and a username - you can choose to remain anonymous by leaving the username blank or making it something that does not identfy you. Your pr will not be public.
You will be also be asked some demographic questions (age and first part of postcode) and to say whether you are autistic or have ADHD.
We are aware many of us are autistic and have ADHD. There are also a lot of people who are not, for many reasons, pursuing diagnosis.
We've fed this back, but don't worry too much about this - choose whichever response you feel most closely reflects your experience (most neurodivergent people will get stuck on this question forever otherwise!). The questions that follow in the consultation are the same whatever you choose, and you can clarify your identity in your responses.
You'll then be taken to the consultation page where you can submit your responses to the 3 consultation questions with we have included below to help you prepare what you want to say:
- Please tell us about your experiences of seeking an Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis in Scotland.
- Why did you seek a diagnosis?
- Is there anything that would have made your experience better?
Finally, don't forget to 'Save and Publish' your response.
"SWAN welcomes this much-needed inquiry into the current crisis in access to autism and ADHD diagnosis and support, which is severely impacting the quality of life of autistic, AuDHD and ADHD adults, children and families across Scotland.
We urge as many of you as possible to contribute to the Call for Evidence and help ensure that the experiences of neurodivergent people are foremost in informing both the inquiry itself and plans for the way forward."
- Lyndsay Macadam, SWAN CEO
The consultation is open until 18 August 2025.