NHS England will begin screening all children who identify as transgender for autism, following recommendations from Baroness Cass’s review into gender identity services for young people.

The move comes after the Cass Review found that children experiencing gender dysphoria are significantly more likely to have underlying mental health conditions.

According to The Telegraph, new assessments will evaluate not only mental health but also family relationships, sexual development, and whether the child is experiencing same-sex attraction.

The updated guidance will soon be released for public consultation before full implementation later this year. It is expected to be adopted by children’s gender clinics in London and Manchester, with full approval anticipated by early 2025.

An NHS spokesman commented: “As part of NHS England’s commitment to implement the Cass Review’s recommendations, we have begun stakeholder testing on a proposed revised specification to replace the interim service specification for the Children and Young People’s Gender Service. We will shortly launch a full public consultation on this draft, which sets out the holistic assessment framework described in Cass’s report.”

The spokesman also noted that NHS England has recently altered the referral pathway, stating that children can now only access gender services commissioned by the NHS if they are referred by a paediatrician or a child and adolescent mental health professional.

This development comes amid wider changes in equality law regarding sex-based rights.

Earlier this month, it was announced that women’s spaces — including bathrooms and sports — could lawfully exclude trans women following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The court affirmed that the legal definition of “woman” under the Equality Act is based on biological sex, allowing organisations to restrict access to single-sex spaces where it is deemed “proportionate.”

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), described the ruling as “enormously consequential” and stated that the EHRC would ensure organisations update their policies accordingly. Legal experts also suggested that trans women might be directed to use alternative facilities, such as disabled bathrooms, in certain workplaces.