Supporting autistic adults

8 Oct 2026 09:54 AM

Autistic adults are to benefit from more than £600,000 of new funding to improve access to advice, support and assessment, including support while waiting for assessment.

The funding will ensure more people can access help at the right time, in the right place, based on their individual needs.

It is part of wider work by the Scottish Government to improve neurodevelopmental support for adults and children and comes ahead of the publication of a draft route map for adult neurodevelopmental support in the autumn.

The route map will set out a four-tier approach, based on recommendations from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, comprising public health, universal, targeted and intensive support based on individual need.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd, said: “I know that too many neurodivergent people, including those with autism, are waiting too long for the support they need.

“This funding will help improve people’s access to support based on their individual needs, and supports our aim for people to be able to access support as soon as needs are identified regardless of diagnostic status.

“Specialist secondary services have been overwhelmed in recent years with increased demand for assessments and support.

“Tackling that  is key so we can ensure neurodivergent people, and people with learning disabilities are understood, supported, and empowered.”

Background

Scottish Government action to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people includes:

• supporting over 2,800 people with Learning Disabilities through the Learning Disability Support Fund in its first 6 months of implementation
• £20 million of funding to implement the Coming Home Action Plan, which sets out measures to ensure people with learning disabilities and complex support needs benefit from tailored support and housing close to home, family and friends.
• an additional £29 million of Additional Support Needs (ASN)  in 2026/27 to support the ASN workforce
• supporting children and young people with neurodevelopmental needs and their families with £7.6 million funding to local authorities, announced in September
• taking forward reforms to improve neurodevelopmental support and ensure people can access support, including a draft route map for adult neurodevelopmental support which will set out a four-level approach to support based on recommendations from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
• providing £2m a year to NHS Boards to deliver annual health checksfor people with learning disabilities, which resulted in 3,287 onward referrals last year