(Malta) 4 out of 5 child referrals for mental health services are for ADHD/ASD

Oct 10, 2026, Times of Malta: Four in five child mental health referrals are for ADHD or autism assessments

Chilren as young as four are being referred for assessment, with boys accounting for most cases

Four in every five referrals to the child and adolescent mental-health services in the past five years were for ADHD or autism assessments, according to figures tabled in parliament on Tuesday. 

A total of 2,909 referrals were made between 2020 and 2025.

Of these, 2,326 were for the assessment of children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder.

Health Minister Ian Borg provided the data in parliament in reply to questions by PL MP Romilda Zarb, who asked for a breakdown of referrals to services previously known as Child and Young People's Services and now integrated within Child and Adolescent Services. . . .

Around 5.4% of children in Malta have ADHD, while autism is thought to affect around one in 65.

Children aged four to nine accounted for most of the cases (1,057), followed by teenagers aged 15 to 18 (970).

The remaining 583 referrals were linked to anxiety, depression, trauma, conduct disorder, self-harm or suicidal ideation. 

Most referrals were boys, with 1,785 new cases since 2020, while girls accounted for 1,124.

The child and adolescent service had 3,040 active cases as of 30 September this year. 

New referrals peaked at 598 in 2019, then gradually fell in the following years. Numbers started to climb again in 2024, reaching 580 that year and 505 in 2025.

Most referrals came from GPs and paediatricians.

Long waits for diagnosis and support 

In 2023, Times of Malta reported that, according to a study, children with autism and ADHD are facing long waiting lists sometimes exceeding a year for state-provided services.

Two weeks ago, Times of Malta interviewed the mother of a five-year-old boy who was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, describing the moment she found out about her son's diagnosis as a “blur”.

Her reaction was largely due to a lack of knowledge about the condition. Gatt said the diagnosis felt frightening largely because she knew so little about the condition at the time. 

“When, as a parent, you hear the word 'autism' and don't know much about it, it feels as though the world is spinning around you,” she said, adding: “Your life stops”.