The Problem with the Autism Care Bill

The proposed law, which the Philippine Senate passed recently, is long overdue. But it needs tweaking.

By Jon Joaquin
Rights Report Philippines

SENATE Bill no. 1822, the proposed National Autism Care, Support, and Inclusion Act recently passed by the Senate, has not been getting much media attention. It should.

Autism is estimated to affect about 1% of the global population, and in a country the size of the Philippines, that means more than a million people. That’s not counting the families and friends whose lives are closely connected to them.

I read the relatively short bill, and these are my initial thoughts. I am aware that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) may still improve many aspects of the proposed law, but that is precisely why discussion now matters. I am writing about it in the hope that those concerned about autism (including the media) can be part of the public conversation while the policy is still being shaped.

Children First, of Course

For many Filipino families, the first signs of autism raise more questions than answers.

Parents may sense that their child’s development is unfolding differently, but turning that concern into a diagnosis can take months or even years. The limited number of specialists and the high cost of therapy services, concentrated in major cities, lead to very long waiting lists.

The proposed law aims to address this gap by creating a national framework for autism services.

The measure focuses strongly on diagnosis, intervention, and treatment. It recognizes persons with autism as individuals with disability, calls for a national plan of action, pushes for PhilHealth coverage, and strengthens protections against discrimination.

The bill, however, approaches autism primarily as a medical condition that must be treated. This perspective emphasizes therapy, intervention, and clinical services. While these are important, it leaves less room for the growing understanding of autism as a form of neurodivergence—a different way of thinking and experiencing the world rather than simply a disorder to be fixed.

Early screening and therapy can make a meaningful difference in a child’s development. Expanding access to these services could help many Filipino families. Yet much of the bill’s language remains aspirational. It promises expanded services but offers few concrete targets for how specialists will be trained or how support will reach communities outside major cities.

The true test of the law will not be its text but its results—whether a child in a provincial town can be screened early, receive support, and enter school without being turned away.

Parents Also Need Support

Behind many autism diagnoses is a parent who fought hard to obtain it.

Families often spend months searching for specialists, joining waiting lists, and traveling to cities where services are available. Once a diagnosis is made, the work continues—arranging therapy, coordinating with schools, and managing the financial demands of care.

Many parents become advocates, coordinators, and caregivers all at once.

Senate Bill No. 1822 aims to ease some of these pressures by expanding autism services. PhilHealth benefit packages could make therapies more affordable, while disability recognition could strengthen parents’ ability to request school accommodations.

Yet the bill says little about supporting the parents themselves.

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Raising an autistic child can bring emotional strain and financial stress. Services such as counseling, respite care, and parent support groups rarely appear in policy discussions, even though they can help families sustain long-term care.

Autism policy must support not only the child but also the family that stands behind that child.

What Happens When Autistic Children Grow Up?

Autism does not disappear when childhood ends. Yet many autism policies focus primarily on children. Early diagnosis and school-based services receive attention, but far fewer resources exist once autistic individuals reach adulthood. This creates what advocates often call the “services cliff”—the sudden drop in support services once individuals leave the school system.

As I said earlier, part of the reason may lie in how autism is framed in policy. When autism is treated mainly as a medical condition that requires treatment in childhood, the policy conversation tends to revolve around therapy and education for young children. Less attention is given to the long-term realities of autistic adulthood and to the idea that autism is also a lifelong form of neurodivergence.

Senate Bill No. 1822 mentions employment and workplace accommodations but provides few details on how these will be implemented. Programs that help autistic students transition from school to the workforce receive limited attention.

Pathways for adult diagnosis also remain unclear, even though many autistic people are identified only later in life.

Autism policy cannot stop at childhood. It must consider how autistic Filipinos can move into adulthood with opportunities for work, independence, and community participation.

Silence on Late Diagnosis

Not every autistic person is diagnosed in childhood. Some people spend decades sensing they experience the world differently without knowing why. Many learn to adapt, mask their differences, or simply assume their struggles are personal quirks.

I myself was diagnosed with autism at the age of 59. That late diagnosis brought clarity to my brain, and the experiences that once puzzled me suddenly made sense.

Yet Senate Bill No. 1822 says very little about people like us. The bill rightly emphasizes early detection and intervention for children because helping them receive support as early as possible is essential. But focusing on early intervention should not mean overlooking those who were diagnosed later in life. After all, the word “inclusion” is found in the title of the law itself.

When adults finally receive a diagnosis, they often discover that few services exist for them. Adult diagnostic pathways remain limited, and counseling or support for newly diagnosed adults is rare.

Many late-diagnosed autistic adults have already spent years contributing to society, often because of the very traits linked to autism. The ability to focus deeply on subjects of interest, to notice patterns others might miss, to approach problems from unusual angles, and to persist with tasks that require sustained concentration can be “superpowers.”

These characteristics appear in many fields like science, engineering, technology, research, design, writing, and the arts. They can drive innovation and creative thinking when given the right environment.

An autism policy that truly values inclusion should recognize that reality and make room not only for autistic children but also for the many autistic adults who were identified later in life and who still have much to contribute. (Rights Report Philippines)

Jon Joaquin is a retired journalist from Davao City who now works as a communications consultant. After being diagnosed with autism last year at the age of 59, he has also become an advocate for greater autism awareness and understanding.