Having a child diagnosed with a disorder of the autistic spectrum may take a heavy toll on any family. But, when it comes to Albanian families, the high cost of treatment adds to the weight of their psychological and emotional burden.

“Having a child with autism means that your family will be faced with all kinds of social and economic problems, with outer judgment, discrimination; a burden that falls entirely on the family,” – said Anisa Dizdari, therapist.

“A family goes through a state of shock and anxiety. There are families that have never admitted to having someone with autism in their family,” – explained Eriselda Dyrmishi, therapist.

In the majority of cases, these parents have nowhere to go, and unintentionally, their stress may lead to undesired situations within their family unit.

“The government should try to address these issues by turning their attention to these families and try to give them strength, and get them healthy … When a family isn’t healthy, when it’s problematic, then these issues can get automatically reflected on their children,” – said Dizdari.

These children’s families get very little financial help from the state, which accords them a check of 20 000 Albanian LEK (around 180 euros) per month, that can’t possibly cover their basic expenses, let alone treatment.

“One therapy session costs between 10, 15, and 20 euros. It depends on the person and the kind of therapy they need. There are families that were forced to take out loans, sell their homes or even get members of their extended family to help,” – said Dyrmishi.

1 in 160 children gets diagnosed with autism around the world. In Albania, there are still no thorough studies or data that would give us a clearer picture of the current situation with autism patients in our country.

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