The warning has come from the National Autistic Society (NAS), which this week has called on NHS England and the government to take urgent action.
The NAS says that without a diagnosis, people on the spectrum are often left without support for years and are at serious risk of developing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
This has a knock-on impact on families, who have to deal the additional strain of looking after their loved ones without help. The situation also has clear implications for schools.
The charity has raised concerns with the chief executive of NHS England Simon Stevens and health secretary Jeremy Hunt in letters signed by more than 11,500 people, including prominent autism experts Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and Dr Judith Gould.
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