Autism Pathway

The purpose of this service evaluation was to give parents and carers the opportunity to talk in more detail about their experiences of the Autism Pathway in Derbyshire.

Anecdotal evidence obtained by HWD during general engagement activity suggested that although there was some good practice across the county, other parents were not entirely happy with how certain parts of the referral pathway operated, including delays in diagnosis and lack of support. This resulted in parent carers feeling isolated and reaching crisis point.

As the pathway operates differently in the North and South of Derbyshire, due to how services are organised, we conducted the study countywide, but also compared experiences between the North and South.