(New Zealand) Christchurch doctors refuse to diagnose kids over age 6 for ASD

June 13, 2025, The Press: Christchurch paediatrics stop assessing children over six for autism 

Christchurch’s public paediatric service is no longer assessing children over six years old for autism, due to increased demand for services and a bloated waiting list.

The decision was revealed in a letter seen by The Press and sent from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) to a Christchurch GP.

It said the waiting list for first specialist appointments in developmental paediatrics was approaching 12 months so children over the age of six would not be added.

It means Christchurch families with children who have suspected autism and are over the age of six, will need to pay thousands of dollars for a private assessment or remain undiagnosed.

Autism NZ chief executive Dane Dougan said families could not access government support for an autistic child if they did not have a formal diagnosis.

“To deny people the right to actually go through a diagnosis process that the government funded… it’s just not right.”

Daniel Wright says the waitlist for support is now around three months long.

One Christchurch mum, who wished to remain anonymous, said her GP told her she would need to hurry to get her five-year-old daughter in, as the new cut off was six.

She made it on the waitlist just two weeks ahead of her child’s sixth birthday.

There still remains a 9 to 12 month wait for an initial appointment.

Daniel Wright has had battles with his own children, despite them going through the public assessment system years ago.

It took almost two years to get a specialist appointment and eventually a diagnosis for his four-year-old son Freddie.

Wright, who now provides counselling and support services for children with neurodiversities, said his waitlist is now three months long.

 “Everyone is overburdened in the space….It’s just ‘sorry the waitlist is two years long, good luck’...I don’t think they’ll actually get things back in order to open it up again.”

“This is not just a Canterbury problem either… It's nationwide.”

Health NZ Canterbury group director of operations Hamish Brown, said the number of autism assessment referrals for children throughout New Zealand had” significantly increased“. He confirmed it was unable to accept referrals for children over six.

“We are working with GPs to provide them with specialist advice to enable them to manage their patients at this time.”

According to Dougan, the average age of diagnosis in New Zealand is around 7, despite autism diagnoses being possible from as young as 12 months.

Autism New Zealand chief executive Dane Dougan says under current rules, children cannot access government supports without a formal diagnosis.JUAN ZARAMA PERINI / THE POST

Research completed in 2020 showed there was at least a three-year wait from the time autistic traits were identified through to diagnosis.

Jill Adams works in the child and family support team through CCS Disability Action, and although it’s “never been easy” to get an autism assessment, she said it had become harder.

She said an age restrictiondiscriminated against Māori and Pasifika children, girls who tended to mask their symptoms, children in state care, migrants, and children with co-occurring conditions like ADHD or trauma that were often diagnosed later on.

“I’ve met many people over the years that have missed getting a diagnosis at all ages and stages. And honestly, it does get harder for people the older they get.”

Jill Adams from CCS Disability Action, says it gets harder for people the longer they go without a diagnosis.Mike Shaw

A private autism assessment can cost up to $3000 [$1,800 U.S.]. Even if a family can afford to pay, waitlists are also long.

Sharyn Gousmett, psychologist and founder of private assessment provider Willow Corner, said referrals had increased.

When it opened its waitlist at the end of April, it had 139 referrals in under a week.

“There’s just not enough staff there and funding just keeps getting reduced.

“I think that they have done what they needed to do for the safety of their staff, their clinicians... but it’s not good long term because there’s still such a high need for kids to access the assessments.”

Dougan said the wait time problem was starting to occur nationwide.