A condition that someone is born with that affects their ability to communicate and interact with the world around them. It is also called autism, and covers a wide range of symptoms. It affects people in different ways, and some individuals need much more help and support than others.

A single variable of ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)’ to replace the two ‘Autism’ and ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’ ASD was adopted in 2022 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) using the latest version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). In the Light Touch Review of SALT (2018), the National Autistic Society did not see value in separately capturing data of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, and owing to updates in diagnostic criteria, these Reported Health Conditions / comorbid conditions no longer matched the emerging single categorisation of ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’. To be reported in CLD, ASD should be diagnosed and relevant to care needs. ‘Unknown’ should be used where the client’s ASD status has not been recorded. • Yes • No • Unknown Data type: Defined list