Key Takeaways

• Professionals are overextended. Most clinicians and educators report that autism evaluations take hours to complete, with report writing and data collection creating major bottlenecks.
• Families wait too long for answers. Many families face one to three months before an evaluation, and more than a third wait four months or longer.
• Digital tools are underused—but interest is growing. Over 80% of professionals aren’t using AI or digital solutions yet, but most say they’d try one that’s accurate, easy to use, and affordable.
• The field wants objective, scalable solutions. The top priorities are improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing wait times, expanding equitable access, and proving cost effectiveness—all areas where technology like EarliPoint’s can make a meaningful difference.

New findings from a recent survey conducted in collaboration with EarliPoint Health paint a clear picture of what professionals in autism care are facing today: long waitlists, overworked teams, and a system struggling to keep up with demand. The results point to a strong need for tools that make autism diagnosis faster, more accurate, and more accessible for families everywhere.

Educators and Clinicians Are Carrying Heavy Workloads

In the survey of more than 500 professionals across education and private practice, nearly half (49.2%) work in schools, and more than a third (35.6%) come from private clinics. Most rely on long-standing tools like the ASRS, Vineland, and ADOS—all widely used in autism evaluations.

But even with these trusted methods, the process takes time and energy.

• Writing reports is the single biggest time drain, according to 76.8% of respondents.
• Collecting information from parents (46.4%) and observing and scoring behaviors (37.2%) also take considerable effort.

For many teams, completing a full evaluation can take two to four hours (43.0%), and more than a quarter say it takes five hours or longer (26.7%). With this kind of workload, even experienced teams can only see a limited number of families.

Families Are Waiting Too Long for Evaluations

The result of these bottlenecks? Families are waiting months—sometimes over a year—for a diagnosis.

About half of professionals (50.4%) said families typically wait one to three months from referral to evaluation. But more than a third (31.3%) said it can take four months or longer, with some waiting six months to a year or more.

The biggest reasons?

• Long waitlists for referrals (45.7%)
• A lack of trained professionals (40.4%)

These delays mean that many children miss out on the early intervention services that make such a difference in development.

Technology Could Help—but It’s Not Widely Used Yet

Despite the challenges, most professionals (83.3%) said they are not yet using digital or AI-based tools to help with autism evaluations.

However, there’s real openness to change. When asked if they would try a validated, accurate, affordable tool that’s easy to learn, more than half (57.2%) said they would be likely or very likely to give it a try.

The message is clear: people want better tools—they just need ones they can trust, afford, and use without complicated training.

What Professionals Want in New Autism Diagnostic Tools

The priorities of educators and clinicians align closely with EarliPoint Health’s mission:

• More accurate diagnoses (84.8%)
• Faster access to early intervention (51.8%)
• Equitable access for all families (40.1%)
• Proven cost effectiveness (37.7%)

Nearly half (48.2%) said they feel only somewhat confident in the tools they use now, and almost 92% said scalable, objective solutions that help diagnose autism earlier are important or extremely important.

The Takeaway: The Field Is Ready for Change

Clinicians and educators are doing all they can—but the system needs help. Long waitlists, limited staffing, and time-intensive workflows make it hard to reach families when they need it most.

The solution? Objective, easy-to-use technology that saves time, increases accuracy, and helps move children into care sooner.

That’s exactly where EarliPoint Health is focused: building tools that make early autism evaluation faster, fairer, and more effective for every child and family.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why do autism evaluations take so long?

Evaluations are complex and require multiple steps—gathering information from parents and teachers, observing behavior, scoring assessments, and writing detailed reports. Each step takes time, and clinicians often have large caseloads, leading to long delays for families.

What are the biggest barriers to faster autism diagnosis?

According to the survey, the top barriers are long referral waitlists and a shortage of trained professionals. These challenges make it difficult for families to access timely evaluations.

Are clinicians open to using new technology in autism evaluation?

Yes. While only a small number use digital or AI tools today, more than half of professionals surveyed said they would be open to piloting a validated, accurate, and easy-to-learn tool that could speed up the process.

What do professionals want most from new diagnostic solutions?

Their top priorities include greater diagnostic accuracy, earlier access to intervention, equitable access for families, and cost-effectiveness. In short, they want tools that help more children get accurate diagnoses sooner.

How does this research connect to EarliPoint Health’s work?

The survey results reinforce what EarliPoint Health is built to do—deliver objective, scalable technology that helps shorten evaluation time, improve confidence in diagnosis, and expand access to early autism care.