HUNDREDS of people from across the North-East stepped out to tackle autism, as experts from the region warned children with the condition are still being diagnosed too slowly.

More than 300 people took part in the second annual Walk for Autism at Herrington Country Park in Sunderland to mark the start of World Autism Awareness Week and raise money for the North East Autism Society.

But as adults and children alike enjoyed their day out, new research from a North-East university suggests the age of autism diagnosis has not improved in ten years – still averaging four-and-a-half years old.

A Newcastle University team undertook the biggest study yet seen in the UK of children with autism, scrutinising data from 2004 to 2014 and found even those diagnosed “early”, before the age of three, were identified at 30 months, the same as ten years previously.

Dr Jeremy Parr, a clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University and honorary consultant with Newcastle Hospitals, who led the study, said: “There’s a growing body of evidence showing that early intervention can improve social and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder.

“Many children receive a diagnosis later than they could have done, this means that they and their parents have to struggle on longer than necessary without suitable support or understanding of their child’s difficulties.

“We need to improve awareness of the signs of autism spectrum disorder in very young children. We need health visitors and GPs to have the training and support to help them identify young children with ASD.”

The research was funded by the charity Autistica.

Its chief executive Jon Spiers said: “This research shows that the age of diagnosis for children with autism remains as unacceptable high as it was ten years ago.

“We need research to find ways to speed up diagnosis and to help identify those left isolated for too long, such as girls with autism.”

Carol Povey, director of the National Autistic Society’s Centre for Autism, added: “This important study shows that professionals still aren’t picking up the signs of autism early enough.”

The research is published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

The Walk for Autism raised more than £1,000. North East Autism Society events fundraiser Sophie Clarke said she was thrilled at how many people turned up and delighted at the money donated.