Neurodiversity and Healthcare Access – Patient Perspectives

This report highlights the lack of consistent understanding from healthcare professionals in the management of the health needs of Croydon’s neurodiverse groups. The analysis demonstrated that respondents felt that providers had surface-level understanding of conditions like autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions. A recurrent finding was that participants were being misjudged and sometimes misdiagnosed, with further commentary referring to ‘spiky profiles’ which demarcates the high academic ability to mask difficulties. The respondents called for a need for more patience and understanding from providers and to provide adequate format(s) when delivering key messaging as well as better post-diagnosis support. Numerous participants highlighted the poor transition from child services to adult, leaving these groups unsupported during a significant change in life circumstances. These challenges were further complicated with details of disconnected mental health services which some described as inappropriate for neurodivergent people, particularly when based on neurotypical assumptions (e.g., CBT with NT-based goals). Positively, respondents noted that peer support groups were an invaluable resource and called for more services that catered to their needs from within the community as well as the value of self-supported resources such as books, podcasts and AI.