GAAC reports expanded membership, outlines global initiatives

The Global Autism Advocacy Coalition is expanding its membership and rolling out a hub-based regional model, with Qatar Foundation serving as the MENA hub, to shift from awareness to action on autism and to mobilize resources for better diagnosis, policy, investment, innovation and lifelong support. The coalition emphasizes alignment with Qatar’s health and social ministries and seeks broad international partnerships, including UNICEF and WHO, to scale early screening, diagnosis and services across regions. In Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya called for stronger inclusive education and a robust pipeline of therapists and clinicians, proposing a special committee to reform the National Institute of Special and Inclusive Education and closer coordination with the Health Ministry. In Bacolod, Philippines, Rep. Albee Benitez is pushing for an Inclusive Learning Resource Center at Bacolod City National High School to provide training, assessment, therapy and home-based strategies for families. In the United States, Autism Learn & Play Inc. announced a major expansion of play-based, inclusive programs aimed at serving underserved families and addressing gaps in access to developmental services, underscoring the prevalence of autism with the CDC figure of about 1 in 36 children. Taken together, these efforts reflect a multi-faceted approach—global coalitions, national policy reform, local resource centers and community programs—to improve diagnosis, education, therapy access and family support for people on the autism spectrum.