# Why are autism diagnoses up? - The Saturday Story

An episode of [The Story](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1501716010), 5 Sep 2026, 15 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/storiesofourtimes/e/6a9ae5c0d024784c9988e018/media.mp3

Autism diagnoses in England have shot up in recent years from 700,000 three years ago to around 1.1 million today. It's led to a backlash, with some suggesting the condition is being over-diagnosed. Not so, says Dr Mary Doherty, a top doctor who founded Autistic Doctors International. She says she knows why diagnoses are up. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by: Andrew Billen, feature writer, The Times. Producer: Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: I’m a top doctor and I’m autistic. I know why diagnoses are up Photo: Tom Jackson for The Times magazine This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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