Philippines: 85,474 Autism-Linked Disability ID Issued between January 2020 and July 2025. Autism in the Philippines Appears to be a Condition Escalating in Children Born Since 1995.
There is little official data available on autism incidence in the Philippines. A FOI request on PWD ID with autism as diagnoses shows rising ID in the young but few among older populations.
Recently filed is a bill aiming to aid some said 1.2 million Filipinos and 350,000 children living with Autism in the Philippines. This rate of 1% incidence is advised by the Autism Society of the Philippines. I could not find any other reference to or published research on incidence. If passed the bill will become the first comprehensive and sustained national policy on autism support in the Philippines.
FOI Response on No’s of Persons with Disability Card Issued on Basis of Autism Diagnosis
Under Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability, a government-issued PWD ID enables PWDs and their caregivers to enjoy various privileges and benefits.
For a disability to qualify for a PWD ID, it must be permanent and disabling and requiring special accommodations, therapies, medications.
Via the Philippine FOI system, from January 2020 to July 31, 2025, 85,474 PWD ID with Autism as the identified cause of disability were issued. If there are an estimated 1.2 million Filipinos living with Autism, only 1/14 people with Autism claimed / were able to claim disability in that period.
While these PWD ID cannot indicate the true numbers of people living with Autism, it does provide very interesting and relevant age-distribution and provides a possible proxy for the population-wide distribution of autism in different age cohorts!
Autism is increasingly stacked in younger age cohorts; 92.7% of all Persons with Autism as a Disability born in 1995 or later! Less than 2.5% of the PWD IDs for autism were given to people aged 50 and older.
24.2% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for children aged 0 - 4. Note that a formal diagnosis of autism is typically made between 2 - 3 years of age, so this % may grossly underestimate real incidence in the younger age group. Further, it will take parents time to get diagnoses and required documentation for PWD-ID application.
33.1% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for children aged 5 - 9.
13.2% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for children aged 10 - 14.
8.9% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for children aged 15 - 19.
5.9% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for young adults aged 20 - 24.
4.3% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for young adults aged 25 - 29.
3.1% of Autism as cause of disability ID are for young adults aged 30 - 34.
The Philippines would appear to be experiencing an explosion of Autism among its children and young people! I cannot accept that this is just increased awareness and diagnosis. I knew no-one with autism growing up; and did not even meet anyone who could have been diagnosed by today’s criteria; my children and nieces and nephews have had multiple classmates with the diagnosis (ranging from mild to severe) in their short academic lives.
What could have changed in the Philippines to lead to increasing numbers of young people having the neurodevelopmental condition of autism1? Are the factors contributing to the deteriorating health of American children and adults also in play in the Philippines? Certainly, the causes must be multi-factorial.
RA7846 came into effect in January 1995, just over 30 years ago, mandating vaccination at birth for Hepatitis B, and Tuberculosis, as well as the administration of DTP, Oral Poliomyelitis, Measles, and Rubella. Upon implementation, it required catchup vaccination of children 8 years and younger (ie. those born in 1987 and later).
The children who received this schedule from birth are now 30 years old. Children in the catch-up cohort could be 38 years old. 94.7% of PWD with Autism as primary disability are 39 years old and younger. Only 4.3% are 40 and older, with incidence declining progressively in older populations.
Age-cohort distribution of the PWD ID is set out relative to the implementation of RA7846.
Correlation does not equal causation. However, in light of increasing literature linking vaccination with neurological conditions and poor health in children, there should be a high index of suspicion of a link, which warrants urgent investigation and action.
For the sake of the future of the children and the nation.
Autism is just one of many possible neurodevelopmental conditions that might be diagnosed. Local mum pages recommend mums looking at PWD ID for children with autism to avoid that label directly and adopt other terminology where possible.
Your statistical analysis is always clear and logically presented. Thanks.
I have known about vaccines and autism for many years. The science has never been in doubt. The problems are political. I hope the current publicity can stop this horrific disabling of children.
Excellent evidence Super Sally! The case you make follows very sound likely causes. The timing of the law starting the vaccinations has by default given a control group. As you say, the older citizens seem to have less issues compared with the younger folks.