ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Autism is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Kurdistan Region and the government must provide greater support for affected families, an autism association said on Wednesday, on World Autism Awareness Day.
"Despite our group's relentless efforts, autism is becoming more prevalent in the Kurdistan Region year after year," Kamal Jabari, head of the Kurdistan Autism Association, told reporters.
He called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to establish an advanced training and rehabilitation center in collaboration with organizations to accommodate autistic children, including those above the age of 12.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. The United Nations General Assembly designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in 2007.
Jabari said that in 2008, one in 150 children in the Kurdistan Region had autism, but the number has since risen to one in 90. "I warn that in another 20 years, one in every 10 to 15 children will be born with autism, meaning every household will have a child with autism," he cautioned.
He detailed that the Kurdistan Region has 3,900 children with autism, including 1,350 in Erbil province. Of those, 80 percent are boys, 20 percent are girls, and 40 percent have severe autism. In Sulaimani province, there are 950 children with autism, with 79 percent being boys, 21 percent girls, and 45 percent classified as severe cases.
Jabari said the issue of autism has been “neglected,” with little consideration for the financial and mental struggles of families. He claimed that autism has led to the separation of 50 families and that "80 percent of parents of children with autism suffer from mental instability."
According to Jabari, only 12 percent of autistic children benefit from government-run autism centers, while a mere 11 percent receive financial support from the government.
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Governmental autism centers in the Kurdistan Region face challenges, and families of autistic children struggle with limited government support, often unable to afford treatment at private centers.
Some families have risked their lives by illegally migrating to Europe in search of better care for their autistic children.
To ease the burden on families with autistic members, Jabari urged the government to open a special education department and issue a decree exempting families with autistic children from water and electricity bills, housing costs, and marriage loans.
