Screening for autism in the memory clinic

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Screening for autism in the memory clinic and its association with objective cognitive impairment or a diagnosis of dementia: A cross sectional study

• IRAS ID

  355961

• Contact name

  Sinead Audsley

• Contact email

  research.lypft@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Research Manager, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Autism is known to persist throughout the lifespan however very few older people have a formal diagnosis of autism and it is thought that there are many older people with undiagnosed autism due to lack of opportunities for assessment earlier in their life. Previous research suggests that many people with autism report subjective memory difficulties, but the relationship between autism and cognitive decline or dementia is not clear. It is important to identify autism in this patient group to provide better understanding of symptoms and avoid potential misdiagnosis. There have been no previous studies assessing autistic traits within UK memory clinic settings. This study aims to explore how common autistic traits are in people referred to memory clinics. It also aims to find out if there is a relationship between autism and dementia or other types of memory problem.
  The study will be carried out in the Memory Assessment Services and Young Onset Dementia Service at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT). All patients referred for a diagnostic memory assessment will be invited to participate. People who have advanced cognitive impairment and lack capacity to consent to participate will not be included. At the time of their initial assessment by the memory service participants will be invited to complete a one-off questionnaire (Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-14) which screens for autism. It consists of 14 true/false questions and takes around 5 minutes to complete. The rest of their clinical care will be unchanged and they will continue through the memory assessment pathway. The researchers will collect information from participants clinical notes regarding their age, gender, ethnicity, memory test scores, physical health problems and final diagnosis from the memory clinic.
  

• REC name

  Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/YH/0109

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Jul 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion