CIEM in Porto Feliz | Instituto Justiça

Implementing partner:

In 2023, Instituto Justiça (IJ), together with the Municipal Departments of Health and Education of Porto Feliz (SP), inaugurated the Specialized Municipal Children’s Center (CIEM) — a pioneering public facility focused on the educational and therapeutic care of children aged 4 to 5 diagnosed with TEA.

IJ played a decisive role in the conception, coordination, and structuring of the project, acting as a strategic partner from the outset. In addition to technical and institutional consulting, it also financed essential items for the operation of CIEM, such as the acquisition of specialized equipment and the facilitation of training for the professionals involved. The facility is maintained by the Municipality of Porto Feliz through the Municipal Departments of Health and Education.

Testimonials

“Instituto Justiça, through its founder, Indiara, enthusiastically embraced our proposal to integrate health and education into a single project. With her contagious energy and deeply human perspective, she immediately mobilized to turn this idea into reality. Today, we look at CIEM with pride and gratitude for everything we have built together.”

Valdirene Prado
Secretary of Health of Porto Feliz

The initiative emerged in response to the significant increase in TEA diagnoses in the city. Data from the Porto Feliz Department of Health (2022) indicate a 30% increase, with an estimate of 1 case for every 59 children. In this context, the creation of a specialized center became essential to ensure the full development of these children and the necessary support for their families.

The center’s multidisciplinary team is composed of specialized professionals, such as psychologists, psychopedagogists, teachers, nutritionists, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. In a structured and carefully planned environment, each child receives individualized care that respects their pace and specific needs.

Testimonials

“We celebrate basic achievements. For example, a student who sat down or who drank water on their own. Everything is a reason for joy, for celebration. These are everyday things that, if we were in another school, we wouldn’t imagine how important they are. This work taught me to value the simple things in life.”

Mariana de Oliveira
Assistant
“My feeling is one of gratitude. For all the care, affection, and dedication they have for my son and for all the children. Seeing that he is doing well makes me feel well too.”

Suelen
Mother of a student from the 2025 class

Beyond direct care for children, CIEM also supports families through the TEAcolho group, which recognizes the importance of listening and strengthening the partnership between school and family in the process of inclusion and development. It also operates the TEApoio group, dedicated to the exchange of experiences and case studies among CIEM professionals.

The facilities include therapy rooms, sensory environments, common areas, and adapted outdoor spaces. The space is playful, welcoming, and highly stimulating, encouraging learning through play and activities that foster autonomy and self-confidence.

CIEM is more than a care center: it is a space for care, welcome, and transformation, with strong potential for expansion to other locations.

In Porto Feliz, we also carry out other inclusion actions aimed at people with TEA:

Awareness Week for Autism: an event held in 2024, featuring a lecture by Marcos Petry and the branding of city buses with the message “Autism is not cured, it is understood,” contributing to public education on the topic.
Approval of Law No. 5,962: legislation that establishes the creation of exclusive parking spaces for people with TEA in public, private, and specialized service facilities.

These initiatives reaffirm our commitment to equity, inclusion, and human development, within our pillars of action in Education and Health.