Island SEN group says ADHD and autism assessment restrictions confirm gatekeeping fears.
Isle of Wight SEN Support says the gatekeeping it warned about has arrived, after the Guardian reported that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board has restricted ADHD and autism assessments to patients who meet its priority criteria.
The Guardian’s report, published on 24th September 2026, looked at waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments across integrated care boards in England.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight among them.
See the Integrated Care Board’s response below.
The report states,
“This month, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, assessment for ADHD and autism has been restricted to those patients who meet the ICB’s priority criteria.”
Fears raised over the new pathway
The group researched proposed changes to the pathway for autistic children and young people and those with ADHD, including the introduction of the Neurodiversity Team and the Neurodiversity Profiling Tool.
One of its biggest concerns, the group says, was “the potential for these changes to become a form of gatekeeping, limiting who could access a diagnostic assessment”.
“We raised these concerns repeatedly.
“We were reassured by those in positions of responsibility that our fears were unfounded and that the new pathway would not become a barrier to diagnosis.”
Group wants to know what has changed
Its verdict on the Guardian’s findings runs to four words.
“Yet here we are.”
They add,
“This is precisely the kind of outcome we were concerned about.”
The group says those responsible need to take concerns from parents and professionals about pathway changes seriously, particularly where access to assessment and diagnosis for children and young people is at stake.
And it wants answers.
“The question now is: what has changed, why has it changed, and what does this mean for children and families who do not meet these ‘priority’ criteria?”
ICB response
A spokesperson for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board told OnTheWight,
“We recognise how important timely ADHD and autism support is for families across the Isle of Wight. Due to very high demand for assessments, providers are prioritising people with the highest clinical need across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“This prioritisation is entirely separate from the neurodiversity team and profiling tool. The profiling tool does not determine who is prioritised for an assessment; this is determined by assessment providers through their clinical criteria and triage processes.
“People who are not currently prioritised remain on their provider’s waiting list, and changes in their clinical needs can be taken into account. We have also increased support for people awaiting diagnosis.
“We understand the concerns raised by Isle of Wight SEN Support and remain committed to a needs-led approach in parallel to making improvements to the diagnostic pathway, where children, young people and families can access appropriate support based on their needs rather than having to rely on a formal diagnosis.”
Follow up questions have been put to the ICB to seek clarity on unanswered questions put to them last week.
Article edit
8.57am 30th Sep-26 – ICB comment added
