The State Duma committees, together with representatives of the Ministry of Health, NGOs, and parent organizations, will develop a federal program to help children with autism.
According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, in 2018, 31.4 thousand people with autism were registered in Russia. According to WHO estimates, autism occurs in one out of 160 children.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published new statistics in 2020 – autism spectrum disorders are found in every 54 children.
“These significant differences in the regions of Russia are explained by the presence of different methods for detecting autism. Profiles differ at times. But at the same time, the number of identified children with autism spectrum disorders is lower than that of these children at the global level,” said Alexandrina Khaitova, president of the “I am Special” charity foundation.
“I am convinced that we need a federal program, namely an independent program because the number of children who have disorders is continuing to grow,” said Nikolai Govorin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health.
