Lebanon families face $700 autism-care bill as war disrupts routines

Lebanon’s Autism Awareness Association charges $700 a month for five-day-a-week care, as war since October 2023 disrupts support for autistic and ADHD patients, Al Jazeera said in a news report published Oct. 21.

The cost is more than 17 times Lebanon’s $40 monthly National Disability Allowance, while 80% of the population lives in poverty and inflation may reach 17% this year, the report said.

The pressure falls heavily on people with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, because many depend on predictable routines, regular schooling and low-sensory environments. Al Jazeera said those supports have been interrupted by bombardment, displacement and Lebanon’s wider economic crisis.

“Any sudden change in routine, loud noises, fear, or uncertainty can increase their anxiety and make them feel unsafe,” Lena Kouyoumjian, whose 20-year-old daughter Vana is autistic and non-verbal, told Al Jazeera.

Kouyoumjian said transport and family finances made it harder for Vana to attend AAA classes regularly. “At times, it became impossible for her to go, so she had to stay home,” she said.

AAA, a nonprofit in Antelias outside Beirut, was co-founded in 2015 by Ghada Hayek Makhoul and other parents of autistic children. The group works as an alternative school for young autistic people and has tried to expand understanding of autism in Lebanon, Makhoul told Al Jazeera.

The report described sensory stress as a central problem. Makhoul said her 27-year-old son Anthony, who is autistic and non-verbal, covers his ears when distressed and has become more affected by war-related noise.

“So, imagine the drones all the time [for autistic people], the bombs, and the vibration of the bombs … all of this that we were hearing, so of course it affected him a lot,” Makhoul said.

The financial strain extends beyond AAA. Al Jazeera reported that private mental-health consultations can cost more than $100 for a 50-minute session, while nongovernmental organisations provide some free therapy. Nour Toukan, a public health researcher at Enmaeya, told the outlet that care for autism and ADHD is “very much an out-of-pocket expense.”

Lebanon’s state support remains limited, according to the report. The National Disability Allowance, launched in 2023 with European Union and UNICEF funding, provides $40 a month. People with autism can apply for a disability card from the Ministry of Social Affairs, but people with ADHD are not eligible on that basis, Al Jazeera reported.

The report did not give a national count of neurodivergent people affected by the war or comparable prewar attendance figures for specialised services. It relied on families, service providers and public-health specialists to describe how disrupted care and sensory stress are affecting people with autism and ADHD.

Dr Rabih El Chammay, founder and director of Lebanon’s National Mental Health Programme, told Al Jazeera that a national mental-health strategy for children and teenagers is being finalised. “War makes this work more difficult because it can increase support needs while disrupting the services people depend on,” he said.