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Brazil’s new autism care pathway and the limits of primary care expansion in middle-income health systems

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Autism care is shifting towards primary care. Global frameworks, including the WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Children with Developmental Disabilities and the Lancet Commission on autism, place early identification and lifelong support in primary health care (PHC).1,2 In low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), this process seems almost unavoidable due to scarce specialist services, long waiting lists, and growing demand for diagnosis and care.3,4 The harder question is whether middle-income health systems can, in practice, deliver what these frameworks expect of them.

Source: The Lancet Primary Care

DOI: 10.1016/j.lanprc.2026.100195