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World Autism Day Prompts Push for Data, Stable Funding and Adult Support

A new national survey in Argentina finds high visibility alongside low public understanding.

Overview

  • Coordinated actions on Thursday for World Autism Awareness Day, from marches to blue lighting in cities like Buenos Aires and Ourense, spotlighted the call for “less judgment, more supports.”
  • An Opina Argentina survey presented at the University of Buenos Aires reports that 72% know someone with autism, only 25% feel they understand it well, and 87% say society lacks information.
  • Respondents also reported witnessing discrimination in 44% of cases and signaled a state role in solutions, with 74% rejecting the idea of dissolving the national disability agency.
  • With prevalence estimates now near 1 in 31 children, civil groups urged the state to produce official counts by adding autism measures to INDEC surveys and to health and education data systems.
  • Families and associations warned of shrinking or unstable support, citing cuts in Argentina, a lack of adult day centers and residences in Ourense, and a post‑secondary cliff that leaves many young people without paths to college or jobs.