10:42, 04 апреля 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Ruslan KHARIZOV
There are approximately 630 children with autism in Kyrgyzstan. Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan reported.
According to its data, 34,000 children with disabilities are registered in the country. That is 1.1 percent of the population under the age of 17. Experts estimate that more than 20,000 children in Kyrgyzstan have autism spectrum disorders.
Children with disabilities, and primarily with autism, have virtually no access to education; there are no preschool classes for them, and therefore it is difficult for them to get into a general education school. Children with disabilities are not admitted to pre-school institutions. Very low public awareness of childhood disability and childhood autism leads to the isolation of these children and «uneducable» stereotype.
«It is gratifying that there are private initiatives and active parents in our country, who are dealing with the problem of autism. ABA Mom+ Early Help Center for children with autism, equipped with the all necessary equipment and materials was opened in Osh city in 2017,» the director of Smile. KG Public Foundation Larisa Kuznetsova told.
More than 200 children with autism are registered at the center. Their parents can receive psychological and pedagogical consultations daily.