(by Livia Parisi) (ANSA) – ROME, 01 APR – More and more children with autism spectrum disorders are able to have an early diagnosis and start treatment early. But in terms of the rights of patients and their families there are still too many needs to be filled and few data available. Starting from the number of cases in Italy, given that there is no national register. Between small steps forward and age-old problems that persist, on the evening of April 2 the blue light will illuminate the main monuments for the World Autism Awareness Day.
The differences between the Regions in terms of assistance are also important. According to the mapping of the Higher Institute of Health, in March 2023, the clinical and social-health centers for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders surveyed in Italy numbered over 1200, of which 649 (54%) in the North, 259 ( 21%) in the Center and 294 (25%) in the South and Islands. With regard to users, 629 centers offer services for children and 517 for adults for a total of 782,929 users, of which 78,242 diagnosed with autism. In the last year, and this is good news, the Institute has signed agreements with the Regions as part of the Autism Fund for over 20 million euros to implement differentiated paths for the formulation of individualized plans.
Autism Spectrum Disorders are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitive interests or activities. In Italy, according to ISS data, one child out of 77 has this problem and males are affected 4.4 times more than females. “Several researches – denounces the National Association of Parents with Autism (ANGSA) – indicate that the share of the population on the autistic spectrum is around 1% and concerns 300,000 people in Italy” but “there is no register of cases of autistic spectrum. Piedmont and Emilia Romagna are the only two regions that have complete epidemiological data. In the rest of the country the only certain data concern minors enrolled in school, which number around 50,000”. In Italy, we have an excellent law but “it remains on paper, while we are dramatically behind in real needs” and “policies for autism are often fragmented among the various public subjects, producing dispersion, inefficiency and waste in the use of resources “. On the other hand, there are steps forward in early diagnosis, already within 2-3 years of age. This, explains Elisa Fazzi, president of the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry (Sinpia), “is a goal achieved or well underway in most regions”. But, she adds, “the same is not the case for therapeutic interventions, although great progress has been made in this area too”. Certainly one of the nodes remains what happens after the age of majority, i.e. accompaniment in adult life. Almost always, in fact, family members are caregivers obliged, due to the lack of alternatives, to keep children with a high degree of complexity in the family. “The life project – said the Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli – is the basis of the path that every person must follow in order to have a dignified life”. Meanwhile in Italy, as in many other countries, on Sunday 2 April, for the day established by the United Nations in 2007, many monuments will be illuminated with blue light, including Palazzo Montecitorio and the Ministry of Education and Merit. On the recommendation of Minister Giuseppe Valditara, in Italian schools the Day will be a moment to reflect on how to improve school life for pupils with autism spectrum disorders. While on the occasion of the day, the Cervelli Ribelli Foundation of the journalist and writer Gianluca Nicoletti, father of a boy with autism, hosts 15 “Cyber Rebels” from all over Italy in Rome: young people with autism and a particular interest in the use of IT tools to communicate , study, play or work. (HANDLE).
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