Federal Council regulates help for children affected by autism
Published: Wednesday, Aug 21st 2024, 10:50
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The Federal Council wants to secure funding for intensive early intervention for children with severe autism disorders from disability insurance and the cantons. The total costs are estimated at around CHF 60 million per year.
However, the upper limit of the costs assumed by the IV is set at 30 percent of the average costs of early intervention, which corresponds to a maximum of around CHF 18 million per year, as the national government writes in its dispatch on the amendment of the Federal Invalidity Insurance Act (IVG) adopted on Wednesday.
The amendment to the IVG would have no financial impact on the federal government, it continued. According to the Federal Council's dispatch, the majority of participants in the consultation process welcomed the creation of a legal basis for permanent cost sharing by the IV. Parliament will decide on this.
Intensive early intervention (IFI) for children with severe autism spectrum disorders at preschool age can improve the behavior as well as the social and communication skills of the affected children. Every year in Switzerland, around 270 children or around 0.3 percent of a year group are affected by early childhood autism.
IFI comprises medical and educational measures. Their effectiveness is now widely recognized scientifically. Until now, the assumption of costs for IFI was provisionally regulated by agreements between the IV and the institutions offering IFI in Switzerland.
Since 2019 and until 2026, the IFI has been the subject of a pilot project to clarify the key points and funding. According to the dispatch, it has been shown that joint financing by the Confederation and the cantons is appropriate. With the proposed amendment to the IVG, the Federal Council wants to ensure that the IV continues its commitment seamlessly after 2026.
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