New figures show the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds receiving personal independence payments (PIP) for the conditions has doubled across the county since 2019.

Some of the steepest increases have also come in the wealthiest areas, where claims were previously among the lowest in the county.

On average across Norfolk's seven districts, the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds receiving PIP for ADHD and autism rose from 1.7pc in 2019 to 3.6pc in 2025.

The figures - which come amid a wider surge in claims - have sparked concerns about over-diagnoses.

They also come at a time of heightened political debate about the rising cost of benefits.

The revelations have also raised questions over why claims are rising fastest in the most affluent areas, amid fears parents are paying to jump NHS queues for private diagnoses for conditions.

The steepest increases have come in Broadland and South Norfolk - which are consistently ranked by the Office for National Statistics as the county's least deprived areas.

In South Norfolk, the rate has more than tripled, from 1.1pc in 2019 to 3.5pc in 2025.

In Broadland, the rate has almost trebled from 1.1pc to 3.1pc.

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk's most deprived district, continues to have the highest rate of claims in the county, with........

© Norwich Evening News