Autistic children will enjoy policies for people with disabilities.
Currently, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is developing guidance documents and training staff to determine the level of disability for autistic children.
On December 2, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs held a consultation workshop on policies and laws related to autistic people in Vietnam.
According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the first cases of autism were diagnosed in Vietnam in the late 1990s - 2000s, and to date, the number of autistic children detected has been increasing. Currently, Vietnam has about 20,000 autistic children.
Dr. Vu Song Ha, Deputy Director of the Center for Health and Population Initiatives, said that many countries consider autism a form of disability and include it in the Law on Persons with Disabilities. “Vietnam has a legal framework to support people with disabilities. The number of autistic children being detected is increasing and more and more autistic children will reach adulthood. Therefore, there needs to be more support policies so that autistic children can access more complete services in accordance with policies for children and people with disabilities,” Dr. Vu Song Ha suggested.
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| Currently, Vietnam has about 20,000 autistic children. (Photo: Internet) |
Ms. Dang Huynh Mai, President of the Vietnam Association of People with Disabilities, suggested: “The Government and future lawmakers need to review and adjust the Law on People with Disabilities to be compatible with the Convention on Persons with Disabilities. From there, classify and determine the level of disability, putting autistic people in the category of intellectually disabled people.”
According to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs), the Ministry is developing guidance documents on autism and training officials of the sector to guide localities in implementing the determination of disability levels for autistic children, so that they can enjoy policies for people with disabilities./.
According to VOV
