CIEM - Municipal Specialized Child Care Center
Project partner
In 2023, the Justiça Institute (IJ), along with the Municipal Secretariats of Health and Education of Porto Feliz (SP), inaugurated the CIEM — a pioneering public facility aimed at providing educational and therapeutic support for children aged 4 to 5 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The initiative arose in response to the significant increase in ASD diagnoses in the city. Data from 2022 indicate a 30% growth, with an estimated 1 case for every 59 children. In light of this scenario, the creation of a specialized center has become essential to ensure the full development of these children and the necessary support for their families.
Impact
47
Impacted families
With a holistic approach, CIEM provides neuropsychomotor care based on a multidisciplinary pedagogical-therapeutic plan, aimed at preparing students for their future integration into the regular education system, addressing cognitive, emotional, and social aspects, providing individualized care that respects the pace and specific needs of each student.
Specialized professionals:
Teachers;
Psychologists;
Psychopedagogues;
Nutritionists;
Speech therapists;
Physical therapists;
Occupational therapists.
The facilities include therapy rooms, sensory environments, communal spaces, and adapted outdoor areas. The space is playful, welcoming, and highly stimulating, encouraging learning through play and activities that promote autonomy and self-confidence.
In addition to direct care for children, CIEM also supports families through the TEAcolho group, which strengthens the partnership between school and family, and the TEApoio group, aimed at sharing experiences and case studies among CIEM professionals.
CIEM is more than a care center: it is a space of care, welcome, and transformation, with great potential for expansion to other locations.
Still in Porto Feliz, we carried out other inclusion actions aimed at people with ASD:
- Awareness during Autism Week: an event held in 2024, featuring a lecture by Marcos Petry and the wrapping of the city's buses with the message “Autism is not cured, it is understood,” contributing to the education of the population on the subject.
- Approval of Law No. 5,962: legislation that establishes the creation of exclusive parking spaces for people with ASD in public, private, and specialized service establishments.
Initiatives that reaffirm our commitment to equity, inclusion, and human development, within our pillars of action in Education and Health.
