ABA therapy for children in Uzbekistan: how to get help under the new early intervention system

ABA therapy for children in Uzbekistan has for years relied almost entirely on private centers in Tashkent, with families paying for every hour out of pocket with no state support at all. Starting in 2026 that's beginning to change: a presidential decree launched an early intervention system, and the government approved a procedure for issuing vouchers for these services. Below we go through the primary sources to see how it actually works.

What is launching: Decree UP-69 and the "Erta Aralashuv" service

On April 27, 2026, the president signed Decree UP-69, aimed at a fundamental overhaul of social services for people with mental health conditions. One of its provisions is the phased launch, by June 1, 2026, of the "Erta Aralashuv" ("early intervention") service: children under three with an established disability or identified developmental issues receive services from non-state organizations listed in a dedicated electronic registry run by the National Agency for Social Protection. The state doesn't open centers itself. It pays for services from existing private and nonprofit organizations once they're added to that registry, which matters to a parent because the registry is what determines whether the state will cover the specific specialist you want to see.

How to actually get a voucher

According to UzDaily's reporting, you can apply three ways: in person at an Inson center, at a public service center, or online through the my.gov.uz unified public services portal or the Social Card mobile app. Once the request is approved, an electronic voucher is generated within one working day, and the family has 30 days to start using it. The chosen non-state organization then drafts an individual early intervention plan together with the parents within 10 working days. The state reimburses the organization as a subsidy for hours actually delivered, with no lump sum paid upfront.

Inson centers and vouchers: part of a wider system

Early intervention is built into the social services voucher system launched by Resolution No. 376 of June 18, 2025. Inson centers are the ones who assess a person's need for social services, from medical and social rehabilitation to a personal assistant, and issue a voucher for a specific package. Starting in July 2026, obtaining a voucher also runs through the Social Card, currently issued only by Alokabank and People's Bank, with other qualifying banks able to issue it from April 1, 2026.

Pilot regions: what that means if you're not in Tashkent

The system is rolling out in stages, not everywhere at once. Under Resolution PP-292 of August 4, 2026, assessment groups for children aged 3-18 with special educational needs, based at Inson centers, launch on October 1, 2026 first in the Navoi and Khorezm regions, with the rest of the country to follow. If you don't live in one of the pilot regions, it's worth asking your local Inson center directly whether the mechanism is already active there or the region is still waiting its turn. That one question can save weeks of being sent between offices.

Does autism qualify

The exact list of diagnoses that qualify under the formal disability track isn't published in full in public sources, and this needs checking individually, with your child's actual paperwork, at your local Inson center. But there's a second, less-known route: the "risk of developmental delay" track, based on a family doctor's note, doesn't require a final diagnosis at all and exists specifically for situations where concerning signs are already visible but a formal evaluation hasn't been completed yet.

Where to actually look for ABA therapy in Tashkent right now

While the voucher system is still rolling out, several private centers in Tashkent are already operating and can be contacted directly. Almadeya, at 10 Kirk-Kiz Street, runs ABA therapy alongside a speech therapist and a neuropsychologist; ABA-MEHR specializes specifically in ABA for children with autism, developmental delay, and speech disorders. There's also an individual-practitioner option: a specialist at abatherapy.uz has been running ABA-based speech sessions since 2018, pricing around 350,000 som for a consultation and 250,000 som for an individual session, roughly $29 and $21 at mid-2026 exchange rates. Before booking with anyone, it's worth confirming two things directly: who actually runs the sessions (a certified BCBA versus an ABA practitioner without international certification), and whether there are independent reviews in parent Telegram groups or on 2GIS, not just testimonials posted on the center's own site.

What you can start today, without waiting in line

While your government-track paperwork is being processed, or while you're deciding between private centers, a remote VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R skills assessment can run in parallel, and ABA therapy itself can begin without waiting for a voucher decision or a pilot program to reach your region. No official diagnosis is needed to start this kind of work, because the program is built around the child's current skills. We covered the typical hourly rates in our article on what ABA therapy costs, and if no specialist lives nearby, whether online ABA works is worth a read before you decide.

What to look for in any specialist

Certified BCBA specialists are still rare across the country, and outside Tashkent finding one nearby can be genuinely difficult. You can check a specific person's credentials directly in the BACB registry, which is updated daily and shows certification status for any country, Uzbekistan included. If your city doesn't have a suitable specialist, a remote format doesn't replace in-person sessions on every dimension, but it removes the geographic barrier.

How this fits into Sense Behavior's programs

We don't wait for a voucher decision, or for a pilot program to reach your region: your child's program starts with our own skills assessment, and a family anywhere in Uzbekistan works with a specialist at the same pace as if that specialist lived next door. You can start with a free thirty-minute consultation, where we'll go through both the plan for your child and how to line it up alongside applying for state support, if you decide to pursue it.