Published: August 2024

Neurodiversity regards differences in brain function and behavioural traits as part of normal variation in the population. Uncovering the strengths of neurodiverse people and utilising their talents can help increase innovation and productivity of society as a whole. Neurodiversity can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette’s, as well as neurodevelopmental conditions.

Headlines

Depending on the definition used, it is estimated that up to 10-20% of the national population may be neurodiverse. Some people need little or no support, whereas others may need more help. It is likely that neurodiversity is under diagnosed and self-identification is becoming more common as neurodiversity awareness increases.
6.4% of respondents to the 2023 Wakefield Adult Population Health Survey and 30.1% of respondents to the 2024 Wakefield School Health Survey reported to be neurodiverse.
The neurodiverse population is generally younger than the neurotypical population. This may be due to a number of factors, including more established referral pathways for children and young people, and younger people potentially being more likely to self-identify as neurodiverse.
Neurodiverse adults and Year 12 students were more likely to have a low mental wellbeing score and less likely to feel safe in the area they live than their neurotypical peers. Neurodiverse adults were almost three times as likely to report that their general health was ‘Bad’.
There were lower levels of happiness and optimism about the future in neurodiverse Year 12 students.

Neurodiversity and increasing awareness

There is a wider trend of rising awareness, acceptance and also celebration of neurodiversity in society, both nationally and locally.

It is becoming more clear that people show traits associated with neurodiversity to varying extents across the population and it is not just people with a diagnosis whose experience is influenced by these traits. People’s experiences of neurodiversity are highly variable and it is common to have traits related to multiple neurological differences.

Men and boys are currently more likely to have received a diagnosis than women and girls. Historically, neurodiversity has been under diagnosed in women and girls because of differences in how it can present in females and potentially mis-conceptions around autism affecting males only.

It is likely that neurodiversity is under diagnosed. For example, less than a quarter of a percent of the Wakefield adult population have an autism diagnosis on GP systems. However, according to national NHS Autism Statistics, the number of monthly referrals for suspected autism has more than doubled since 2019 (see the Further Information section below). Self-identification as neurodivergent is becoming more common.

Respondents to the 2023 Wakefield Adult Population Health Survey and 2024 Wakefield School Health Survey, the data sources for the analysis presented below, were asked if they considered themselves to be neurodiverse.

What are the differences within Wakefield district?

Adults

In the 2023 Wakefield Adult Population Health Survey, people were asked about whether they considered themselves to be autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic or have ADHD. It was found that 6.4% of respondents identified as neurodiverse.

The adults who identified as neurodiverse in the survey were generally younger than the neurotypical population, with 40.9% of neurodiverse adults being in the 18-34 age group, compared to only 24.6% of neurotypical adults. Only 9.9% of neurodiverse adults were 65 or over.
Only a third (34.5%) of neurodiverse adults felt they were in good health generally, compared to 60.2% of neurotypical adults.
Neurodiverse adults were much more likely than neurotypical adults to be living with long-term health conditions (not including their neurodiversity) with more than nine in ten (93.2%) reporting health conditions or illnesses lasting 12 months or more.
30.0% of neurodiverse adults reported having a lot of problems accessing support for health conditions in the last 12 months, compared to 14.4% of neurotypical adults. Around one in six neurodiverse adults and one in 14 neurotypical adults didn’t know what types of support were available. A higher percentage of neurodiverse adults identified the quality of and access to healthcare when asked about their main concern (13.3%), compared to neurotypical adults (8.1%).
Neurodiverse adults reported their specific health issues as their most significant concern (42.3%). A lower number of neurotypical adults reported this as their main concern (28.7%).
Neurodiverse adults were more likely to have a low mental wellbeing score (43.6%), compared to neurotypical adults (16.2%). Over half (57.5%) of neurodiverse adults reported having thoughts about hurting themselves, with a higher percentage (18.6%) saying they have acted on those thoughts, compared to neurotypical adults.
Half (50.7%) of neurodiverse adults reported experiencing difficult or distressing events in their childhood, compared to 20.9% of neurotypical adults.

The interactive dashboard below can be used to explore the demographics and inequalities of adults who reported that they were neurodivergent. Click on the buttons at the bottom to navigate between the different measures. Use the buttons and filters sections at the top of each page to explore the different demographics and survey questions.

Year 12 students (16-17 year olds)

In the 2024 School Health Survey, Year 12 students were asked, for the first time, about whether they considered themselves to be neurodiverse. This included autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and an ‘other’ category. Self-identification as neurodivergent is becoming more common and almost a third of Year 12 students identified as neurodiverse in the survey (30.1%), compared to national estimations of around 10-20%. Children and young people’s referral pathways are more established than adults in this area, however younger people may also be more likely to identify as neurodiverse, or identify with some characteristics of neurodiversity, due to an increase in neurodiversity awareness, more exposure on social media, and greater neurodiverse representation online, in media and in TV/film.

Less than half (44.6%) of neurodiverse students reported feeling happy with life at the moment, compared to 59.5% of neurotypcial students and there were higher levels of feeling lonely some or most of the time.
Neurodiverse students reported feeling less optimistic in the future than their neurotypical peers on a range of subjects, including family relationships, accommodation, health, and money.
A third (32.3%) of neurodiverse students had a low mental wellbeing score, compared to 18.3% of neurotypical students.
Neurodiverse students were less likely to report feeling safe at home, at school and in the area they live, compared to their neurotypical peers. They were also more likely to report worrying a lot about subjects including relationships, family problems, problems with friends, and climate change.
Neurodiverse students were more likely to be bullied for their size or weight, clothes, sexual orientation and gender identity. A quarter (24.7%) of neurodiverse students reported being bullied for a disability (or possibly their neurodiversity that others may consider to be a ‘disability’), compared to only around 2.6% of neurotypical students.
Just under a third (28.8%) of neurodiverse students reported needing additional help at school for their learning or behaviour (from someone other than a teacher), compared to 5.3% of neurotypical students.
Neurodiverse students were more likely to experience barriers to being more active with students expressing worries at looking silly, not being allowed or able to do activities and not being able to get to activities.

The interactive dashboard below can be used to explore the inequalities of Year 12 students who reported that they were neurodivergent, compared to their neurotypical peers. Use the filters section at the top to explore the different survey categories and questions.

Further information

What support is available?