Autism GP Diagnosis study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Autism GP Diagnosis study
IRAS ID
341010
Contact name
Simon Baron-Cohen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
214322/Z/18/Z, Wellcome Autism and Health project
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Autistic people often wait for many years to obtain a diagnosis. Autism diagnosis is limited to specialists (such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, paediatricians, and neurologists) where the demand for autism diagnosis currently far outstrips the supply and is increasing each year. The latest statistics indicate there were 10,910 new referrals in June 2023 which is an increase of 27% for new referrals compared to June 2022 (NHS Digital, 2023). Long waiting lists may also be due to the length of the diagnostic assessment, which takes at least half a day. In sum, autism diagnosis is not available at scale.
A solution to the problem of delayed diagnosis of autism is to test if General Practitioners (GPs) can diagnose autism accurately, following a 2-hour training programme and a set of online screening measures.
The GP Diagnosis study aims to test the accuracy of GP autism diagnosis in 250 individuals who will be seen within GP practice. Eligible participants will be at least 18 months of age and will be recruited across all age ranges. GP’s will assess each participant during three 15-minute GP appointments and will prepare a diagnostic report which will be submitted to the research study team. The GP may will also refer the participant to the NHS referral assessment pathway. Within 4 weeks of the GP diagnostic assessment, patients will also attend a 3-hour single appointment with a research clinician, who will complete a research diagnosis and inform the patient of the outcome. The specialist research clinician will have experience working in the NHS and will hold an NHS contract.REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0069
Date of REC Opinion
7 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion