Warning that autism may be being over-diagnosed in parts of country amid surge in celebrities revealing their own battle with disorder

Experts have sounded the alarm over the 'wild-west' of autism diagnosis in England. 'We know that many good quality assessment centres where people are not getting access to proper autism diagnoses because that centre follows untested diagnostic practices, sometimes even ones they’ve developed themselves.' The 13 signs of autism in adults, according to the NHS Main signs of autism Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling Getting very anxious about social situations Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to Finding it hard to say how you feel Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like 'break a leg' Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes Other signs of autism Not understanding social 'rules', such as not talking over people Avoiding eye contact Getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you Noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities Liking to plan things carefully before doing them Professor Mandy personally suspects more centres are underdiagnosing adults than the other way around. They said the rise could be due to increased recognition of the condition among experts particularly in diagnosing autism among girls and adults, but added an increase in cases of autism itself cannot be ruled out The latest NHS data suggests this trend has continued. Reacting to the new study an NHS spokesperson said: The NHS is fully committed to supporting and improving the lives of autistic people, and published new national guidance for autism assessment services to ensure local areas can manage the 50 per cent increase in referrals they have seen over last year while ensuring people have the support they need as they wait to be assessed'.