Improving the assessment process is one of the key aims of a new North Yorkshire autism strategy.
Council chiefs hope the new North Yorkshire Autism All-Age Strategy 2025-2030 will better support more than 6,000 people in the county with autism, as well as their carers and families.
The strategy aims to simplify and speed up the assessment process, as well as provide greater support before, during and after the assessment.
Other aims of the strategy include strengthening the range of education provision for autistic children in North Yorkshire, the launch of a campaign to make the county’s communities, businesses and services autism inclusive and engaging with autistic individuals and their carers to identify barriers to accessing services.
The strategy also proposes a review of accommodation needs for all North Yorkshire’s autistic residents from general needs housing up to complex or crisis support.
The strategy has been prepared over the last two years by North Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Board, a statutory committee of North Yorkshire Council
Councillor Michael Harrison, executive member for public health and adult social care and chair of North Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Board, said officials realised that they needed to “do better” when developing an autism system.
He added: “Ultimately if we succeed in our ambitions, our role will be far less, as we aspire for people with autism to simply be. Support should be individualised and provided even before that affirming diagnosis.
“Small adjustments to maximise potential will be the norm. All organisations, including schools, businesses and leisure facilities will understand how best to support and enhance the experience of their autistic students, employees and visitors for the resulting benefit of all.
“We should be empowering autistic people to be the best they can be and enabling them to know themselves and support themselves in whatever form best suits them.”
Officials say the North Yorkshire strategy is designed to address the feedback gathered from engagement and consultation events, as well as align with the National Strategy for Autistic Children, Young People, and Adults 2021-2026.
A 15-week consultation process took place in 2023 and 2025 to seek views on the draft strategy from autistic people, unpaid carers, families, those who work with autistic people and wider members of the public.
The strategy notes that between 2.6 per cent and 5 per cent of the UK population is autistic, with research showing that autistic people are more likely to have multiple conditions such as ADHD or dyspraxia, or a learning disability.
North Yorkshire Council maintained a total of 1,892 education, health and care plans in January 2024 for children and young people aged up to 25, where autism was the primary need.
The authority said care plans for autism continued to see the biggest increases, with around an additional 1,000 plans being recorded since the same point in 2019 — a 120 per cent increase in five years.
The strategy will be presented to members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee for approval and adoption.
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