(UK) Dorset: Councilor blames disinterested parents seeking ASD dx; 2,000 on waitlist

June 20, 2025, Bridport News: 'Too many Dorset parents asking for autism diagnosis' 

South Coast

A DORSET councillor has claimed too many parents may be asking for autism diagnosis for their children because their behaviour does not fit in with their lifestyle.

She says many would be better off paying their children more attention and playing with them, instead.

The comment came from Sturminster Newton councillor Carole Jones (Con) during a discussion on a long waiting list for a diagnosis.

The councillor, who is know locally and praised for her work with families and children at the town’s Pantry hub, has often made controversial points in the past.

This latest one left no-one at the Dorset Council people and health scrutiny committee willing to give her a direct answer.

“Working in our local family hub there are parents that are waiting for diagnosis of ADHD and, quite honestly, when you look at some of these children they’re just normal, boisterous, children and I wonder whether there is any work we can do to say ‘look, just because you want to sit and look at your phone quietly for an hour, your child needs attention and needs to play, and is absolutely quite normal.

“Are appointments being taken up, needlessly, by parents thinking their child is just too boisterous for their own personal way of life?”, she said.

Executive director of children’s services, Paul Dempsey, said he would not attempt to answer the question directly but said his service tried to look after the needs of children while they were awaiting a diagnosis and did not rely on a medical diagnosis to offer help and support.

Cllr Jones said if that was the case could family hubs have someone come in and talk to parents about whether or not a diagnosis, for which there is said to be a waiting list of 2,000, is the path they really wanted to go down.