让患有神经发育差异的儿童等待评估超过两年，对儿童是残忍的，对家庭造成深远伤害，最终也会增加纳税人的负担（英格兰 NHS 机构规定 ADHD 和自闭症评估至少等待两年，2024年9月25日）。想象一下，一个六岁的孩子被迫等待两年才能接受身体疾病的评估，会造成多大的长期伤害。等待自闭症或 ADHD 诊断也不例外。
Blocking assessments of children with neurodivergent conditions for over two years is cruel to children, deeply damaging to families and ultimately more costly to taxpayers ( NHS bodies in England impose two-year minimum wait for ADHD and autism assessments, 25 September Imagine the long-term harm inflicted on a six-year-old child forced to wait two years for an assessment of a physical condition. Waiting for a diagnosis of autism or ADHD is no different. That’s a quarter of a child’s life, and ultimately their potential, put on hold by state bodies that should be supporting all children. It prevents young people receiving the medical and practical assistance they need to learn, make friends and achieve the ordinary things that other children can every day.
这占用了孩子生命的四分之一，最终也让他们的潜能被本应支持所有儿童的国家机构搁置。这阻碍了年轻人获得他们学习、交友以及实现其他儿童每天都能做到的普通事情所需的医疗和实际帮助。
We know that three-quarters of parents have had to reduce working hours or stop work because of a lack of support that can be put in place with a diagnosis.
我们知道，四分之三的父母因缺乏确诊后可提供的支持，不得不减少工作时间或停止工作。难怪年轻人及其家庭因长时间等待信息而陷入危机或濒临危机，纷纷求助于我们成员机构的服务。
It’s no wonder that young people and their families reach our members’ services in or near crisis because of protracted waits for information. We have strongly voiced our concerns about the lack of engagement from the Department of Health and Social Care with the government’s reform ambitions on special educational needs.
我们强烈表达了对卫生和社会保障部未参与政府特殊教育需求改革雄心的担忧。NHS 对评估的配给制做法，与教育部确保为年轻人提供早期帮助的原则背道而驰。
The NHS’s rationing of assessments is the exact opposite of the Department for Education’s principle of ensuring early help for young people.
这不是协同一致的政府。必须在另一代儿童被辜负之前解决这个问题。Anna Bird，残疾儿童合作伙伴关系主席
This is not joined-up government. It must be sorted out before another generation of children is failed. Anna Bird Chair, Disabled Children’s Partnership