A health policy research organisation has identified Bradford among a cluster of English councils where the take-up of disability support payments by teenagers with developmental conditions falls below anticipated levels.
The Nuffield Trust, a healthcare think tank, examined trends in Personal Independence Payment claims among 16 and 17-year-olds diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum condition.
The investigation revealed that while claim rates have climbed steeply across England as a whole, certain local authority areas with more ethnically mixed populations have recorded notably lower uptake than anticipated.
Nationally, the proportion of young people claiming the benefit for these neurodevelopmental conditions rose from 1.3 percent in 2019 to 3.4 percent in 2025.
However, the research identified Bradford alongside Newham, Brent, Leicester and Wolverhampton as authorities where claim rates were substantially below expected levels.
The analysis, which incorporated findings from the 2021 Census, established connections between benefit claim rates, ethnic composition and deprivation indices.
Senior policy analyst Sally Gainsbury noted that regions characterised by higher proportions of white residents demonstrated elevated rates of PIP recipients for these conditions.
She observed that an association exists between whiteness and relative prosperity alongside accelerating growth in benefit claims for ADHD and autism.
This relationship helps account for why authorities including Bradford reported lower-than-projected claim volumes, given their comparatively smaller white populations.
The think tank stated that this pattern partially clarifies why authorities such as Newham, Brent, Leicester, Bradford and Wolverhampton exhibited significantly reduced ADHD and autism PIP levels, as these areas contain relatively low proportions of residents identifying as white.
The national figures show the number of 16 and 17-year-olds receiving PIP for these conditions climbing from 16,045 in 2019 to 51,148 in 2025.
Expenditure on such payments for this age group was estimated at £296 million during the most recent year examined.
The research additionally found that claim rates have expanded most rapidly in England’s least-deprived neighbourhoods.
Within the most affluent quintile of areas, the proportion of teenagers receiving the benefit for ADHD and autism increased more than threefold, rising from 0.8 percent in 2019 to 2.5 percent in 2025.
By contrast, the most deprived areas experienced growth from 2.1 percent to 5.1 percent across the same timeframe.
The findings raise questions about potential disparities in diagnostic access and broader uncertainties regarding how autism and ADHD are evaluated within welfare and healthcare frameworks.
Gainsbury noted that PIP is intended to measure the impact of a condition on daily functioning rather than merely confirming a diagnosis, yet recipient rates have grown most substantially in areas where young people appear to be performing relatively well educationally and professionally.
She suggested the results might indicate unequal access to diagnosis, which research indicates is a significant issue, though they could equally point to inconsistencies in how disability is interpreted and assessed across society.
The report emerges ahead of an anticipated government-commissioned review examining ADHD, autism and mental health services.
Nuffield Trust chief executive Thea Stein indicated that policymakers would need to guarantee that support mechanisms operate fairly and effectively as neurodiversity identification continues to expand.
She noted this might necessitate consideration of whether individuals are best assisted through health and benefits infrastructure or through broader transformations in educational, employment and social settings.