The 10-minute ‘gold-standard’ autism test that rapidly spots the disorder – as TV star reveals daughter’s diagnosis

Camilla Thurlow today shocked fans after announcing her daughter Nora has been diagnosed with autism. 

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, the former Love Island star praised her two year-old daughter for her ‘strength’ and thanked her loved ones for their support. 

The 35-year-old, who shares three children — daughters Nell, four, and Nora, and a son Brodie, nine months — with her husband Jamie Jewitt, has long spoken openly about Nora’s slower development with talking and walking. 

She received her autism diagnosis last month, with Camilla writing on Instagram that she and Jamie — who she met on the reality TV show — are ‘so grateful’ to be her parents.

It is not yet known exactly what causes autism, but it sometimes runs in families.

Some studies suggest it is more common in the children of older parents, as well as mothers who are overweight or suffer pregnancy complications.

But a ‘seismic’ increase in autism awareness in recent years has also seen the NHS recommend people take 10-question quiz — backed by Cambridge University academics — which is accessible online. 

It does not confirm whether you are on the spectrum. Instead it is used as a gold-standard screening tool.

Clinicians who suspect patients to be autistic based on their answers to the test are then typically passed on for specialist assessments.

Children with autism can find it hard to make eye contact, understand how others feel, or have a keen interest in certain topics. 

Autistic youngsters may also take longer to get their head around information, or repeat things.

The online NHS tool, which helps clinicians refer patients for an autism assessment,  gives a ‘general indication’ of whether someone may have autism, the health service says. 

Known as the AQ-10 test, questions revolve around someone’s ability to focus on tasks and understand other people’s intentions and emotions.

If you score six or more, your GP might consider referring you for further tests. This does not mean you definitely have autism, however.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which links to the tool in its autism advice page, says: ‘If you suspect that you may be autistic you can then make an appointment to see a GP.

‘Offer them the results from the AQ-10, if you have done it, (if you have not done the AQ-10 then the GP should go through the questions with you), and ask them to refer you to a diagnostic pathway.’

In Camilla’s fresh Instagram post, she acknowledged there were ‘some very real challenges ahead’ for Nora, adding ‘we will need to grow as parents to make sure we give you what we hope to give all our children’. 

She penned: ‘Nora, our little darling. I often wonder what life must be like for you, having to get up and do things that you find hard every day. 

‘And not just that, but things that everyone else around you seems to find so easy.

‘For every milestone we are yet to reach, or the ones that may not be for us at all, you just keep going, with a smile on your face and so, so much love in your heart.

‘To determinedly keep doing things that are difficult with grace and good humour is something that many of the rest of us have spent a lifetime trying to master.

‘Yet, that strength is already within you, and you go and get it every single day. So of course we will be excited for you in the milestone moments, but we are proud of you always.

‘Last month you received your autism diagnosis and we know there are some very real challenges ahead for you, and that we will need to grow as parents to make sure we give you what we hope to give all our children.

‘The tools to navigate spaces that are difficult for you, the empowerment to set boundaries that serve you and above all a happy life with every opportunity to be yourself.

‘We see you, always trying to find the sunshine no matter what life brings, and we will be with you every step of the way to make sure it always finds a way through.

‘We are so grateful to be your parents and for the love you and your siblings share, and for everyone who has supported and continues to support Nora and our family.’

It comes as data released last month also revealed that the number of children seeking help for suspected autism has spiralled to an all-time high in Covid’s wake.

Almost 130,000 under 18s in England were still awaiting an assessment in December 2024, NHS figures showed. 

It marks a rise of more than a quarter since the same time last year and a staggering six-fold increase on the 20,000 logged in December 2019. 

More than 116,000 children seeking a autism diagnosis are currently forced to wait at least three months to see a professional — almost nine in ten kids. 

Experts have long warned that young people are facing an an ‘invisible crisis’, with a system that has repeatedly failed to keep pace with rising demand. 

Last year, the Children’s Commisioner warned that kids forced to wait years for autism diagnoses on the NHS are being ‘robbed’ of their childhoods. 

Data, accessed by the independent watchdog, shows one in six children seeking an autism diagnosis waited more than four years via the NHS’s community services.

Autism is not a disease and people have it from the moment they are born, although it may not be spotted until childhood and sometimes much later.

Autism exists on a spectrum. Some people will be able to lead fully functioning lives with no additional help. Others may need full-time assistance.