How the need for stronger structures, coordinated support and genuine acceptance is bringing the role of the state and civil society into sharper focus, with ENA Foundation at the forefront
Autism is not a “rare” condition. It is part of today’s reality in Cyprus. Across the country, hundreds of children are estimated to be on the autism spectrum, and each year more families seek answers, diagnosis and meaningful support. Despite important progress in recent years, many still find themselves navigating a system that places a heavy burden on them, marked by limited support structures, waiting lists, and significant emotional and financial pressure.
Public discussion around autism often remains at surface-level. It tends to focus on definitions, diagnoses or moving personal stories, without always addressing the deeper issue. The central question is simple. How does a society organise itself to provide meaningful support to individuals on the spectrum and their families? How does it build services, schools and support systems that do not leave people to cope alone? If autism is understood as an issue of rights and equal participation, then it is not a private matter for one family alone. It is a matter that concerns society as a whole.
In recent years, the Republic of Cyprus has taken an important step forward by adopting its first Νational Strategy and Action Plan for Autism, with a timeline extending to 2028. The direction is the right one, because it recognises that support cannot be limited to isolated interventions. It must span the entire life journey, from early identification and diagnosis to education, the transition into adulthood, employment, the greatest possible degree of independent living, and active participation in society. At institutional level, the framework is beginning to take shape. The real challenge now is implementation, and what that means in the daily lives of families.
Families on the front line
If one listens to the voices of the parents themselves, the picture becomes very clear. Many describe their daily reality as one of constant crisis management. Appointments, therapies, assessments, travel, waiting times, financial commitments, and a persistent anxiety about both the present and the future. Many essential services remain private, significantly increasing the cost borne by each family. For those living outside the main urban centres, the challenge becomes even greater, as distance, time on the road and practical limitations add further pressure.
The impact is twofold. On the one hand, children do not always receive the timely and coordinated interventions they need. On the other hand, families carry the emotional, financial and physical weight of a system that often demands too much from them. Many parents are forced to adjust their professional lives, or even leave work altogether, to meet their child’s needs. Daily family life becomes organised around therapies, pending appointments, travel and uncertainty. This cannot be seen as a private burden for each household. It reflects the extent to which a society supports, or fails to support, its people.
One of the most pressing issues highlighted by both parents and specialists is the nature of the services themselves. Much of the support available today is delivered in a fragmented way. Each professional may work with commitment and consistency, yet often without a shared long-term plan and without systematic collaboration with others involved in the care of the same child. What is missing are multidisciplinary, integrated structures, where a child with autism can access core therapies, educational support and social skills development, while the family receives counselling, guidance and practical relief, all within one coordinated framework.
This gap is felt even more acutely outside the major cities. Travel, cost and time spent on the road intensify the pressure on families. For a child, a modern and integrated centre is not simply another facility. It can become a point of reference, a familiar and stable environment that offers a sense of security and continuity. For the family, such a structure can provide real relief and a renewed sense of dignity, grounded in the reassurance that their child is seen as a person with potential, rather than as a number on a waiting list.
Behind the discussion around structures lies a deeper question. The way autism is approached reflects how ready a society is to embrace human diversity. Acceptance goes well beyond passive tolerance. It requires services, schools, public spaces and workplaces to adapt so that different ways of communicating, learning and behaving are fully accommodated. It means recognising children and adults on the spectrum as equal members of the community, with the right to participate and the right to develop their potential.
The role of ENA Foundation
Within this context, civil society organisations and foundations have a critical role to play. The true value of any contribution lies not simply in its size, but in whether it addresses genuine structural needs and is shaped in collaboration with the organisations and families who understand the reality on the ground. What is needed is targeted support for interventions that complement public policy, strengthen its implementation and create mechanisms with lasting impact, rather than one-off actions with limited long-term effect.
The ENA Foundation adopts this approach. Instead of isolated actions, it focuses on creating long-term mechanisms of social support. In the field of autism, before reaching a specific initiative, it invested time in listening. Through dialogue with parents, professionals and organisations such as the Cyprus Association for People with Autism, it identified clear gaps in the existing support ecosystem. These include the need for multi-purpose structures, the fragmentation of services, the exhaustion families face due to constant travel, and the broader need for a more unified and holistic model of support.
Through this process, ENA Foundation concluded that the response must be structural. It must be rooted in infrastructure and integrated services designed to operate over time. It must create spaces where therapy, education, creative engagement and family support can coexist within a clear operational framework and through collaboration across multiple disciplines. Only in this way can pressure on families be meaningfully reduced and children’s prospects be more effectively strengthened.
Within this framework, ENA Foundation is preparing an important initiative in the field of autism, which will be announced in the coming weeks. Further details will be presented soon. What is already clear, however, is that this initiative aims to address identified needs, support children and families systematically, and complement efforts already underway at state level.
The conversation around autism in Cyprus needs greater depth and continuity. It concerns children and adults living among us today. It concerns parents engaged in a demanding daily struggle. It concerns the way we define a fair and inclusive society. The role of organisations such as the ENA Foundation is to recognise the gaps, bring them to light with respect, and invest in solutions that can make a lasting difference.
If the goal is a society that offers genuine opportunities to all, autism must sit firmly at the heart of the public agenda. It must be present where policy is shaped, resources are allocated, and priorities are set. At that level, every serious and targeted initiative, whether public or private, becomes a meaningful contribution to a more mature, inclusive and humane society.