More protection, benefits for persons with autism sought
A measure that provides more protection and benefits for persons with autism has been filed in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 7892 author OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino stressed the need to provide more assistance to the persons with Autism as this is emotionally and financially challenging to every family.
Autism, or more formally known as ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ (ADS), appears in different forms with varying levels of severity, with each individual with their own unique strengths and challenges, but the two most common challenges are deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities.
In some instances, several comorbidities may appear in people with autism including anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. In some cases, people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives, while others can work and live with little to no support.
“I have been approached by families caring for persons with autism (PWAs) and I can see how emotionally and financially challenging it is for them partly because there is little support from our government institutions for PWAs. Almost all their expenses are out of pocket, especially the costs for occupational and speech therapies,” Magsino said.
The House Bill 7892 seeks to promote an environment conducive to the development of persons with autism to become self-reliant, productive and socially-accepted members of an inclusive society through mechanisms that will improve their access to education, employment, transportation services, insurance coverage, and medical care and therapeutic services.
Specifically, the bill includes PWAs in the definition of persons with disability (PWDs) as defined under Republic Act No. 7277, as amended, which would provide them the rights, privileges, and other benefits for persons with disabilities under existing laws.
The bill also mandates the Department of Health to establish a program for early screening and detection of autism with the appropriate services that may be needed.
It provides protection for PWAs against discrimination in insurance coverage and in education, as well as mandatory Philhealth coverage and equal employment opportunities. More importantly, the proposed measure mandates the Philippine Council for Mental Health, in coordination with relevant agencies, to develop and regularly update a National Autism Care Plan (NACP) to respond to the needs of PWAs and their families and for the guidance of stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
