3.5. State the prevalence of autism in the UK.

According to the National Autistic Society, more than 1 in 100 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum.

With the current population of the UK being 67.7 million, this means that there are at least 670,000 individuals with autism.

A 2017 study calculated that boys are three times more likely to receive a diagnosis for autism than girls. The study notes that “There appears to be a diagnostic gender bias, meaning that girls who meet criteria for ASD are at disproportionate risk of not receiving a clinical diagnosis”.