Disability and citizenship

Are children under five with disabilities’ educational rights acknowledged and supported in Chile?


Mauricio López, Andrea Mira, Daniela Mauricia, Paulina Acevedo, Ruth Lopez, Pamela Molina, Lina Gutiérrez, Eloisa de Billerbeck and Cecilia Breinbauer.


Key points of interest:

  • Between 2015 and 2023, the number of students with autism enrolled in the School Integration Program (PIE) in Chile increased by over 1,000%, revealing greater detection but also significant challenges for the inclusive education system
  • There are no clear records of children under the age of five with disabilities, which hinders the design of early and adequate public policies and intervention strategies.
  • There is weak interconnection between public institutions. The lack of coordination and clarity on which institution administers and manages records creates obstacles to accessing reliable data and developing evidence-based legislation.
  • The voluntary nature of the National Disability Registry (RND) and the lack of strategies to promote its use—such as guaranteeing anonymity and access to benefits—contribute to under-registration, particularly in early childhood.
  • Effective educational inclusion must begin in early childhood through early detection and intervention, as the first years are critical for development. This requires political will, resource mobilization, and a multisectoral approach.

 

Notes:

  • The following summary was prepared by Núcleo Milenio DISCA and is based exclusively on the original publication. Therefore, it should not be used for citations or references.
  • This article was originally published in English.


López M, Mira A, Mauricia D, Acevedo P, Lopez R, Molina P, Gutiérrez L, de Billerbeck E and Breinbauer C (2024) Are children under five with disabilities’ educational rights acknowledged and supported in Chile? Front. Public Health 12:1304152. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1304152


https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1304152/full