(England) Children under 10 more likely referred with neurodevelopmental conditions--"specifically autism"

June 29, 2026, ‘Crisis’ as children’s mental health referrals top a million in a year – report – Care Appointments

More than a million children – around one in 10 – in England were referred for, awaiting or getting treatment from mental health services, according to data analysis said to show the “sheer scale of distress young people are facing today”.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza (pictured) said she is “in no doubt that we are facing a crisis in young people’s mental health”.

While she said there appeared to be “no straightforward answers” to what has been driving the rise, data obtained by her office suggested the top reason for referrals was anxiety, while demand was said to be “growing especially” for those referred with suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions.

There were 1,048,965 children with active referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in the 12 months to March 2025, her annual report into the subject said.

Active referrals include children who have been referred for, were waiting on or received treatment in that time period, but the figures do not include children who were already being treated at the beginning of the 12-month period.

The number of active referrals has almost doubled from 563,639 in 2018-19 and grew by 9.5% in the last year alone, Dame Rachel’s report said.

It pointed to a Government review, published in March, which said there is no “single narrative” for the rise in rates of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when it comes to demand for children’s mental health services.

That report said “rising distress” among younger people appears to be one of the factors behind an increase in demand for services, while it also highlighted a “medicalisation of distress” which can lead to a diagnosis being the “main route of support”.

Report authors said rising rates of diagnosis for ADHD and autism “does not necessarily mean rising prevalence” of the conditions, but rather could be influenced by “improved recognition, changes in help-seeking behaviour, evolving social patterns, and the possibility that under-recognition may persist in parts of the population”.

Dame Rachel’s report, published on Monday, stated that there appear to be “no straightforward answers to what is driving the rise in referrals, and that there may be different answers depending on the conditions being considered”.

The data her office obtained from NHS England suggested the biggest increase in numbers year-on-year was referrals for suspected autism – rising by 47% from 65,530 to 96,393.

Referrals for other neurodevelopmental conditions increased by almost a quarter from 107,479 to 133,435.

Meanwhile, referrals for anxiety rose from 151,479 to 169,389 – a 12% increase.

Anxiety accounted for 16% of all referrals in the year to March 2025, while neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism made up 13%, suspected autism was the reason for 9.2% of referrals and depression accounted for 3.9%.

Children under 10 were more likely to be referred with neurodevelopmental conditions – specifically suspected autism for children aged six and younger, the report said.

For children aged over 10, the most common reason for referral was anxiety, it added. . . .

Dame Rachel branded the figures “stark”.. . .

She said the Government’s mental health strategy and reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system are a “once in a generation opportunity to transform children’s mental health and improve outcomes for children”.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are developing a cross-government mental health strategy for England that will transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier and helps people to stay active and participate in education, work, family and community life.

“We’re investing a record £16.1 billion [$2.2B] in NHS mental health services this year and rolling out support teams across all schools and colleges in England to ensure more children get the support they need.

“On top of this, our once-in-a-generation Send reforms will bring specialist support directly into schools, to train every teacher to better support Send, and give mainstream settings the expertise and resources they need to meet children’s needs earlier and more effectively.”