Europe UK (Commonwealth Union) – A study conducted by the University College London (UCL) has demonstrated that the actual number of those having autism in England may be over double the number regularly mentioned in national health policy documents.
A groundbreaking study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, conducted pioneering research to estimate the number of adults in England who may be living with undiagnosed autism.
To accomplish this, the researchers utilized anonymized data from over 5 million individuals registered at GP practices in England between 2000 and 2018 to determine the number of people who had received a formal autism diagnosis.
Subsequently, they compared these figures with both a conservative estimate (approximately 1%) and an upper estimate (approximately 3%) of the true prevalence of autism within the population.
The lower estimate was derived from widely acknowledged statistics indicating that around 1% of individuals in England are autistic. This data was based on epidemiological research published in 2011, predating the adoption of more inclusive diagnostic criteria for autism.
Conversely, the upper estimate was based on the rates of diagnosed autism among young people aged 10 to 19 within the researchers’ dataset. This choice was informed by the fact that younger individuals are more likely to have their autism recognized, as awareness of autism among providers is particularly high in this age group.
Based on their analysis, the research team’s estimates suggest that between 150,000 and 500,000 individuals aged 20 to 49 years old in England may be living with undiagnosed autism. Additionally, it is projected that between 250,000 and 600,000 autistic individuals over the age of 50 remain undiagnosed, accounting for more than 90% of the total autistic population.
Research lead and post-doctoral researcher Elizabeth O’Nions of UCL Psychology & Language Sciences says “Historically, autism has been considered as a condition of childhood. But recently, awareness has been growing that it is present across the lifespan – in adults as well as young people.”
