Number of autistic children doubles in Kazakhstan
ASTANA. KAZINFORM «Over 175,085 children in Kazakhstan have special educational needs. 8,796 of them (or 5%) have been diagnosed with autism. The number of autistic children in the country has increased almost twofold in the past five years,» Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin says in his reply to a deputy request, Kazinform reports.
According to the document, in 2018, there were 4,707 autistics children in Kazakhstan. In 2019, their number increased up to 5,193. In 2020, this indicator rose to 6,771, in 2021 – to 8,796 and in 2022 it exceeded 9,000.
«18 domestic universities train specialists for assisting children with special educational needs, including those with autism. Beginning from the 2021-2022 academic year, 5,447 students have been pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in Special Pedagogy. 402 students are studying under the master’s degree programs, and 41 are conducting their PhD studies in this area. 2,562 people completed their studies under this major,» the document reads.