The protection sector is adapting well to an increase in demand for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses, Health & Protection has heard.
Neurodivergence does not automatically prevent people from accessing cover, however while individual circumstances can complicate the process, it’s also clear further work is needed to dispel the myth that cover will be denied.
The government’s flagship Fonagy Review published last week has shown recognition of ADHD and autism has risen dramatically in the last decade.
It found referrals and diagnoses for ADHD and autism have risen significantly in this period leading to hundreds of thousands of people newly diagnosed or awaiting diagnostic assessment and many others struggling to access support.
Many people also continue to face barriers to timely treatment, increasing the risk that difficulties escalate and become more severe.
Ultimately, as it adapts to this new environment and continues to improve, the protection insurance sector must understand there is a real person behind every diagnosis and that the adage of ‘if you’ve met one neurodivergent person, you’ve met one neurodivergent person’, remains true.
Increased diagnoses
In December 2025 the government appointed Professor Peter Fonagy to chair an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism.
The review explored the factors behind trends in prevalence, the impact of clinical practice, including social and cultural factors and the risks and benefits of medicalisation, as well as ways to promote the prevention of mental ill health and to create resilience and improve early intervention.
Reporting back last week, Professor Fonagy found though referrals and diagnoses for ADHD and autism had risen significantly, population-level prevalence of these conditions appeared broadly stable.
This increase in diagnoses comes as no surprise to the protection sector. And the good news is that insurers appear to be adapting well, according to Alan Knowles, co-managing director at Cura Financial Services.
He notes that while responses can sometimes be mixed, life, critical illness (CI) and income protection (IP) can be obtained for most customers.
“An adult diagnosis gives reasons for some issues and answers,” Knowles explains.
“It does usually get caught in an application and can cause some concerns alongside mental health conditions, for example with IP.
“With ADHD – you might find on IP that insurers are a bit stricter on mental health cover.
“Life and CI should be unaffected, with IP it depends as it can be a mental health exclusion but the premium should be unaffected, and overall it has got a lot better in recent years,” he adds.
No automatic exclusion but improvements needed
Despite these challenges, a really important point to note is that a diagnosis of autism or ADHD does not automatically result in an exclusion being applied.
Samantha Warner, vulnerable customer and product governance lead at LifeSearch, tells Health & Protection.
“Having a diagnosis of a neurodivergent condition doesn’t automatically prevent someone from getting protection insurance, and we regularly see customers with these conditions access cover,” Warner says.
“As with any medical condition, underwriting will depend on the individual circumstances rather than the diagnosis alone – including any associated conditions, treatment and how it affects someone’s day-to-day life.
“It’s often the conditions that can accompany neurodiversity, such as mental health conditions, that add a layer of complexity.“
But Warner adds that barriers can appear within the process itself.
“Applications can be long and stressful, and how questions are worded isn’t always accessible for neurodivergent people,” she continues.
”Making sure people understand complex products before they buy is also crucial. Even with additional support in place, it’s not always a straightforward process – and insurers could do more to improve post-sales communication for these customers.”
Sophisticated underwriting
Underwriting of neurodivergent conditions is one element that has evolved significantly in recent years.
Nilesh Patel, chief revenue and customer officer at UnderwriteMe, notes insurers are increasingly taking a more nuanced and evidence-based approach to underwriting.
“Our role is to help advisers access insurer decisions quickly and consistently on the platform, ensuring that applications are assessed on an individual basis,“ he says.
“Advances in underwriting technology, AI and data-driven decision making are helping more customers with a wide range of health and medical disclosures obtain cover.
“More broadly, we have seen insurers continue to adopt increasingly sophisticated underwriting approaches, allowing many customers with pre-existing medical conditions to benefit from faster and more straightforward application journeys,” Patel continues.
“Across the protection market, there is greater recognition that many conditions exist across a spectrum and that underwriting outcomes should reflect an individual’s circumstances, health profile, and overall risk rather than relying on blanket assumptions.
“As a result, underwriting has become more personalised and capable of supporting a wider range of applicants,” he adds.
Group risk progress
Another key development was the launch of the Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity (GAIN) to support neurodivergent provision, awareness and recruitment in the insurance sector.
GAIN board member and former Cabinet Office disability and access ambassador for the financial services sector Johnny Timpson reveals he is delighted with the progress the body has made since launch in September 2021.
“Our objectives are to raise awareness of the support needs of neurodivergent people plus transform opportunity to join, thrive, and progress in the industry as in doing so this leads to the development of more inclusive, affordable, and accessible products and services that are lived experience informed,” Timpson tells Health & Protection.
“I’m delighted to share that the industry progress made to be neuroinclusive and cognitively diverse has been recognised by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and we are working with them to develop the government’s neuroinclusion and work strategy with this aligned with the DWP’s Keep Britain Working Programme.”
He particularly praises the group risk sector for its approach.
“GAIN is delighted by the neuroinclusive approach being taken by group risk insurers and intermediaries together with vocational rehabilitation specialists to support neurodivergent scheme members and their employers,” he says.
Timpson adds: “We both have and continue to work to dispel the myth held by many neurodivergent people and intermediaries in the UK that they cannot access individual life insurance, critical illness cover, and income protection insurance.
“Having conditions like autism, ADHD, or dyspraxia does not automatically mean that a neurodivergent person will be denied cover, but as with any other condition and/or disability insurers will review and consider an application based on their individual medical history, symptom severity, and any related mental health history together with age, occupational, residential and lifestyle factors.“
Understanding individuals
And for the insurance sector, this neuroinclusion means continuing to treat people as individuals.
Fraser Ballantine, underwriting quality and risk manager at Zurich UK, says: “Historically, customers who disclosed neurodiversity were individually assessed through manual underwriting.
“As disclosure became more common, we developed a small number of specific questions to better understand customers’ circumstances.
“This has enabled us to streamline decision-making for some applicants by providing point-of-sale outcomes, while maintaining manual assessment for cases requiring a more comprehensive review.”
Resisting assumptions
And this tailored approach is vital as the adage that if you’ve met one neurodivergent individual, you’ve met one neurodivergent individual, continues to ring true.
“It really depends on the individual,” LifeSearch’s Warner notes.
“We wouldn’t assume that someone needs additional support simply because they have a diagnosis.
“Some customers benefit from us slowing the conversation down, simplifying jargon or more complex questions, giving them more time to process information or allowing a trusted family member or other person to support them through the conversation,” she continues.
“Equally, many customers disclose a neurodivergent condition and don’t need or want us to do anything differently.
“For me, the important thing is creating the opportunity for customers to tell us what would make the process easier for them, and then adapting around that, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach based on a diagnosis.”