This article was translated from Arabic. Read the Arabic original
Austria Now News – Vienna
Austrian Ombudsman Bernhard Achitz has criticised a severe shortage of therapy places for children with autism spectrum disorder in Vienna, noting that according to experts only one in 5 children receives adequate therapeutic support, according to a press release issued by the Ombudsman Board (Volksanwaltschaft) on Sunday.
Family searches in vain for a therapy place
The statement described the case of a 4-year-old child with a combined developmental disorder and early childhood autism. The parents have long been trying to obtain a therapy place covered by the health insurance funds, particularly occupational therapy and speech therapy, but without success.
According to the statement, there is only one specialised therapy centre in Vienna: the VKKJ outpatient clinic in the Sonnwendviertel in the 10th district. It is currently not accepting any new patients and, when places do become available, only admits children from the 3rd, 4th and 10th districts.
Passing the buck
Achitz took the case to the City of Vienna and the health insurance funds ÖGK and BVAEB. According to the statement, both sides are aware of the problem, but each considers the other primarily responsible. The City of Vienna is willing to contribute to funding if the insurance funds set up clinics, while the funds point to occupational and speech therapists under contract with them, though they acknowledge that few are willing to sign such contracts.
Achitz said: The affected children have a right to a therapy place, but the provinces and the health insurance funds are doing too little. He added that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also requires this, and that if not enough therapists can be found, their pay may need to be reconsidered.
Achitz had also raised the case on the ORF programme Bürgeranwalt on 31 October.
Families facing similar problems with authorities can contact the Ombudsman Board via its website volksanwaltschaft.at, while consulting a specialist doctor remains the first step in any therapeutic matter.
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Sources
APA-OTS, Volksanwalt Achitz: Nur 1 von 5 betroffenen Kindern bekommt Platz in Autismus-Therapiezentrum, 01.11.2026, Link to the article
