Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40517258›Full record

ArticleMolecular autism2025

Access to services for autistic people across Europe.

Siti Nurnadhirah Binte Mohd Ikhsan, Rosemary Holt, Joyce Man, Tracey Parsons, Rik Schalbroeck, Amber Ruigrok, Aurélie Baranger, Carrie Allison, Mary Doherty, Katrien Van den Bosch and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular autism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Siti Nurnadhirah Binte Mohd IkhsanAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK. si377@medschl.cam.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-2337-7260
Rosemary HoltAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3650-0977
Joyce ManAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8968-4223
Tracey ParsonsAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0009-0000-4122-4009
Rik SchalbroeckAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9855-5797
Amber RuigrokAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7711-8056
Aurélie BarangerAutism-Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
Carrie AllisonAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2272-2090
Mary DohertyA-Reps AIMS-2-TRIALS Consortium, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-6995-3745
Katrien Van den BoschA-Reps AIMS-2-TRIALS Consortium, Brussels, Belgium.
Jerneja TerčonA-Reps AIMS-2-TRIALS Consortium, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-7264-9464
Pierre ViollandA-Reps AIMS-2-TRIALS Consortium, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-2346-8039
Anjuli GhoshA-Reps AIMS-2-TRIALS Consortium, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0009-0006-9138-0177
James CusackAutistica, London, UK.
Simon Baron-CohenAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8 AH, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9217-2544

Funding

Innovative Medicines Initiative 777394Wellcome Trust WELLCOME TRUST 214322\Z\18\Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutistic communities in Europe continue to face difficulties accessing services despite increasing rates of autism diagnosis in recent years.

methodsTo investigate autistic people's access to services in Europe and reasons for unsuccessful access, we conducted the ACCESS-EU survey comprising of 2322 formally diagnosed autistic people and family carers living within the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). The survey also examined age group (adult vs. child) and gender (male vs. female) differences in results.

resultsOverall, autistic people reported access to therapy (33.38%), mental health (29.89%), educational (27.05%), medical (34.28%), financial (26.66%), needs assessment (14.90%), information/referral (14.73%), social care (14.43%), employment (7.54%), housing (6.80%), legal (3.96%), helpline (3.40%) and other services (0.26%), and most (≥ 57.61%) had waited up to 6 months from referral to access most services. Several respondents were also unable to access therapeutic (13.53%), mental health (11.90%), autism diagnostic (5.92%), needs assessment (8.32%), financial (9.62%), educational (8.10%), social care (7.39%), information/referral (6.14%), medical (7.28%), housing (5.92%), employment (5.43%), legal (3.42%), and helpline services (2.34%). Reasons cited by respondents for their unsuccessful service access included service unavailability (23.08%), service unsuitability or participant ineligibility (20.04%), long waitlists (17.42%), service unaffordability (11.80%), and rejection from service due to autism diagnosis (9.87%), along with other reasons not listed in the survey (18.42%). Significant age group and gender differences were observed for successful access to services, waiting time, unsuccessful access and reasons for unsuccessful access. Among the five most represented countries in the survey-the UK (33.33%), Spain (14.04%), Poland (13.87%), France (11.07%) and Germany (6.03%)-overall service access was most inconsistent in Poland and the UK, highest in Germany and Spain but poorest in France. LIMITATIONS: Issues related to survey presentation such as the languages in which the survey was conducted and the phrasing of some questions should be considered, as well as issues regarding subjectivity and ambiguity of data analysis such as translation of non-English responses into English.

conclusionsOur findings suggest that service access among autistic people in Europe is inconsistent. Significant improvement to current policies is required to enhance access to services across Europe.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderHealth Services AccessibilityAdolescentAdultChildEuropeFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited KingdomYoung AdultAutismEuropePolicyService accessService barriersServicesSurvey

Identifiers

PMID40517258
PMCPMC12166561

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.