Children who suffer from the severe autism spectrum must be treated as early as possible. During the last parliamentary session, the National Council decided to adapt the law on disability insurance accordingly. A long-standing request from professionals and families concerned.
The benefits of what is called “early and intensive intervention” are no longer in doubt for children suffering from severe autism spectrum disorders, of whom there are around 300 in Switzerland.
Acting before school age makes it possible to optimize certain learning and then promote the integration of these children. This method combines psychotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and even specialized teaching.
But today, access to it is not guaranteed for everyone and the overlapping of these educational and medical measures makes reimbursement complex and incomplete.
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60 million francs per year
“Specialists and families sometimes do DIY and do not always take into account all of the child’s needs. Families also have to pay for certain therapies out of their own pockets,” says Isabelle Steffen, co-president of the Swiss Autism Association. romande, Friday in La Matinale. She also emphasizes that children who suffer from the severe autism spectrum must be treated as early as possible to achieve the best results.
The revision of the law proposed by the government guarantees funding and clarifies responsibilities. The total costs of early and intensive intervention are estimated at 60 million francs per year. A third of them will now be responsible for disability insurance, the rest the responsibility of the cantons if the Council of States follows the National.
During the last parliamentary session, the majority of the National Council, except the SVP, followed the Federal Council and decided to adapt the law on disability insurance accordingly. Excellent news for the Valais national advisor of the Center, Benjamin Roduit, interviewed Friday in La Matinale: “This program will make it possible to take care of severe cases and better integrate them into social life, it is a real plus for the society,” he rejoices.
Céline Fontannaz/hkr
