The Portuguese Autism Federation warns that the condition has an unknown dimension in Portugal.
On World Autism Awareness Day, the president of the Federation defends a commitment to early intervention and regrets the lack of funding to respond to needs.
Fernando Campilho even says that “much more needs to be done”, especially in support at school level for children on the autism spectrum, who have had less and less support.
“There are situations where there is a 45-minute intervention per week for a child. It is insufficient”, he says.
The specialist also calls for an epidemiological study, as the number of people with autism in the country is currently unknown since 2005. At the time, he said that there was one in every thousand school-age children with autism.
The president of the Portuguese Autism Federation indicates that work on the ground suggests that, today, “the number is much higher”. The organization’s estimate, without concrete data, is 1% of school-age children.
The pandemic brought more challenges. Until Covid-19, the Portuguese Autism Federation received between 30 and 50 requests for information and referrals.
Since the end of the pandemic, contacts have increased almost 10 times. Largely because of families’ lack of knowledge regarding their rights.
“They don’t know that they have the right to early intervention and support and subsidies for special education. It is necessary”, he further highlights.
