In recent years, the number of people being diagnosed with autism has risen sharply.
UK data shows an eightfold increase in new autism diagnoses between 1998 and 2018.
And it’s not just children: the fastest-growing groups include women, adults, and those without intellectual disabilities.
For care commissioners, it is a change in the types of support individuals need and in the type of provision that needs to be commissioned.
How do commissioners ensure that the care packages they commission are responsive to the full range of autism presentations without falling back on assumptions or outdated models?
Why more autistic people are coming into view
The broadening of diagnostic criteria over the past two decades has allowed more people to access assessments, and, in many cases, long overdue support.
This includes:
- Adults whose difficulties were previously labelled as anxiety, OCD, or BPD
- Women and girls who have historically been underdiagnosed due to ‘masking’ and camouflaging behaviours
- Autistic people without intellectual disabilities, whose needs may be significant but less visible
This doesn’t mean there are more autistic people than before.
It means we are identifying more people who always were autistic, but whose support needs may have been unrecognised or misinterpreted.
These individuals are often entering care systems at crisis point, having struggled without tailored input.
They may not need round-the-clock supervision, but they do require a proactive support that understands autism as a neurological difference, not just a label.
Rethinking care beyond the traditional model
Care for autistic individuals has often been built around certain expectations: delayed speech, learning disability, visible social difficulties, externalised behaviours.
For some, that is accurate, but for many people now being diagnosed, especially in adulthood, their challenges may relate more to:
- Executive functioning difficulties (planning, organising, initiating tasks)
- Sensory regulation issues (environments that feel overwhelming or unsafe)
- Burnout from masking or sustained social effort
- Co-occurring conditions like ADHD, trauma, or anxiety
This means the care offer needs to go beyond conventional task-based support. It requires a deeper understanding of the individual’s internal world and the ability to adapt dynamically.
How Almond Care delivers responsive, autism-informed care
We recognise support needed is precise, thoughtful, and shaped entirely around the individual. We bring considerable experience in supporting individuals with autism, learning disabilities, and behaviours that challenge, often where other providers have struggled.
Our team works closely with the individual, their family, and professionals to build a nuanced understanding of their needs, preferences, routines, triggers, and aspirations.
Support staff receive targeted training, including in Positive Behavioural Support (PBS), sensory integration, and understanding masking and autistic burnout.
This equips them not just to manage behaviours, but to understand and respond to what’s behind them.
We prioritise consistency and continuity so that the individuals we support can build trust over time.
Individual-led support
Every person we work with has a distinct way of communicating, regulating, and interacting with the world.
We take these seriously. Independence is promoted where possible, but not at the expense of wellbeing.
With the diagnostic profile of autism changing rapidly, care providers need to keep pace.
It is not enough to say that a service “supports autism”, the “how” matters.
We understand that no two individuals are the same, and neither are their care needs.
If you are supporting someone with a new autism diagnosis, or someone whose current care package isn’t delivering the outcomes they deserve, we would welcome a conversation.
We are committed to helping every person we support to live a fulfilling life, on their own terms.
Get in touch today for a personal consultation with our team and find out how Almond Care can support your clients effectively and respectfully.
