Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Mabon ap Gwynfor has issued a stark warning to the Welsh Government and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board over the unacceptable and damaging delays in diagnosing children with neurodiversity conditions such as autism and ADHD across Gwynedd.
Questioning the First Minister, Mr ap Gwynfor voiced concerns about the growing crisis, as some children in north Wales are waiting up to four years for an assessment – a delay that is having a profound impact on their development, education, and mental health. Some families in his constituency are being forced to pay privately for diagnoses due to the lack of timely NHS provision.
In some cases, children are reaching crisis point - self-harming and experiencing suicidal thoughts - as they wait for a diagnosis.
Figures from Sept 2024 showed that 20,770 children were waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment in Wales, with projections suggesting this number could rise to between 41,000 and 61,000 by March 2027 due to increasing demand and limited capacity.
In the BCUHB area, waiting times for autism diagnosis in rural areas have reportedly reached up to 46 months (four years).
A Freedom of Information request seen by Mr ap Gwynfor reveals that 7,154 children are on the neurodiversity waiting list across the BCUHB area with only five clinicians carrying our assessments in the north west. 78 assessments were carried out in the north west between April 25 – March 25, compared to 241 in the east for the same period.
Questioning the First Minister, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said:
I am sure Members in the chamber will have seen an increase in cases surrounding the diagnosis and support to children and young people living with neurodiverse conditions. I have parents coming to my surgeries in tears because their children are self-harming or have died by suicide – children as young as eleven years old. Data from north Wales shows a list of over seven thousand children waiting for a diagnosis, with the data showing that only 40 assessments are carried out each month in the north. This means it will take fifteen, yes fifteen years to go through the waiting list. Does the First Minister think this is acceptable?
Mabon ap Gwynfor MS added:
These delays are not just statistics, they are real children, real families, and real lives being held back. Parents in Dwyfor Meirionnydd are at breaking point. Some are having to go private just to get the diagnosis their children desperately need. This is creating a two-tier system that is fundamentally unjust. I have spoken to local parents who feel utterly abandoned, forced to watch their children fall behind in school, suffer with anxiety, and lose confidence, all because the formal diagnosis they need is years away. In extreme cases, children are self-harming while waiting for a diagnosis. These are not isolated cases - they are a warning that the system is in crisis. No family should have to watch their child spiral into despair because the help they need is locked behind years of waiting. Families in rural communities like Dwyfor Meirionnydd face even greater barriers. Limited access to services, long travel distances, and patchy support mean that children here are often waiting the longest for assessments. The Welsh Government must get to grips with this crisis. Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board has a duty to act swiftly and transparently to reduce these waiting times and ensure that no child is left behind.
Shan
My eleven-year-old son has already waited over three years for a neurodiversity assessment, and the delay is making his condition worse every day. He suffers from extreme anxiety and has heartbreakingly told us he doesn’t want to live anymore because he can’t cope. We couldn’t wait any longer - we had to pay privately just to get an assessment. That’s not a choice any parent should have to make. It’s creating a two-tier system where only those who can afford it get help, while others are left to suffer. I’m extremely concerned that rural areas like ours in Gwynedd are being ignored by both Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and the Welsh Government. What’s most disappointing is the lack of empathy shown by the First Minister. Her response to Mabon ap Gwynfor’s question in the Senedd didn’t match the reality revealed in the Freedom of Information request. Families like mine deserve honesty, urgency, and compassion - and above all, equal access to diagnosis and support, no matter where they live or what they earn. My son is missing out on so much - on friendships, on learning, on joy - because he can’t get the help he needs. ll we’re asking for is fairness and timely support. That’s a tragedy no child should have to endure.