Benefits claims for autism and ADHD have not increased by 200,000

In the subheading of its front page story on 14 August, the Telegraph stated that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) “claims for ADHD and autism [are] up 200,000 since Covid amid warnings over economy”. 

However, that’s not the right figure. It actually refers to the total increase in DLA claims for under-18s, rather than only those related to ADHD and autism.

Newspapers should take care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information. We have contacted the Telegraph about this error and will update this article with any response.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publishes data on the number of claims for DLA for under-18s (though it’s worth noting that while the Telegraph article refers to “children”, the DWP defines DLA for children as relating to those under 16). In the last few years DLA has been phased out in Scotland, which should be considered when making comparisons over time.

Looking just at the total number of DLA claims for under-18s in England and Wales, these increased by 50% between November 2019 and February 2024, from just under 492,000 to 738,000. That’s an increase of around 250,000.

Within that, claims for hyperkinetic syndrome—which includes ADHD and other similar conditions—increased by about 17,800 in that time, from around 55,000 to around 73,000.

And it’s not possible to get an exact figure for the increase in claims made for under-18s with autism, as the data for the condition isn’t recorded separately.

Autism is counted in the data under learning difficulties, alongside a wide range of other conditions, including asperger’s syndrome and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Benefits claims for under-18s with learning difficulties increased by about 102,000, from around 235,000 to just under 337,000.

The Telegraph later clarifies these figures further down in its story. 

But the 200,000 increase mentioned by the Telegraph in its subheading also includes a wide variety of other conditions besides hyperkinetic syndrome and learning difficulties. It also includes things such as diabetes, neurological diseases, hearing disorders and arthritis.

If headlines and subheadings are inaccurate or don’t reflect the body of the article, it is possible that people will be misled, considering headlines are often the only part of an article that people read.