Autism diagnosis in Uzbekistan: where to go in Tashkent and the regions

Autism diagnosis in Uzbekistan formally starts with a family doctor, and the conclusion on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comes from a child psychiatrist or psychoneurologist. Between those two points there are forks that open sources barely describe, so families go through them by feel. Below is what documents and the institutions' own websites confirm, and where only a phone call can settle it, we say so.

Where to start: the family doctor and screening

The first entry point is the family doctor at your local polyclinic: referrals to specialists and disability applications both go through them. Before the visit it helps to fill in the M-CHAT-R questionnaire: 20 questions for parents of children aged 16–30 months, free of charge. It does not diagnose anything and only shows whether it is worth pushing for a full assessment. If you are still weighing worrying signs, we have separate pieces on signs of autism at 1 year and on what kinds of tests exist and what they actually show. Come to the appointment with a written list of specific observations: what your child does, from what age, in what situation. A doctor can work with that far more easily than with a general "he seems different".

What is known about the numbers

There is no exact count of children with ASD in the country. The statistics committee told Daryo (2021) that autism has no separate line in disability reporting and is part of the group "mental and behavioral disorders". At the end of 2019 that group held 141,780 people, 14,675 of them with a disability under the age of 16. That is the whole group, autism together with other conditions, so these figures cannot be read as the number of children with ASD. According to Daryo (2022), autism statistics in Uzbekistan have been kept since 2010. The practical takeaway for a parent is to rely on a specific doctor and a specific institution, not on averages.

Where to go in Tashkent

The Republican Center for Social Adaptation of Children (RCSAD) is at 34 Abdulla Kahhar Street. It accepts children and teenagers from birth to 18 with physical or intellectual developmental limitations. First contact goes through the information and consulting service (reception +998 71 281-59-32): the child is examined, a council drafts an individual habilitation and rehabilitation plan and, if needed, recommends additional diagnostic assessment. A polyclinic referral is not required, though a referral diagnosis is desirable. Bring the child's birth certificate or passport, the parent's passport, an extract from the outpatient record and an application addressed to the head of the service; the full list on the site also includes certificates from a dermatologist and a TB specialist, a certificate of no infectious diseases and six 3×4 photos. The word "autism" does not appear on the center's page: it is a rehabilitation center and does not promise to diagnose ASD, so on the phone ask whether they take children with suspected ASD and what exactly the council decides. According to Kun.uz in 2019, the course there lasted 21 days and the queue opened once a year, so check the current terms.

The Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Mental Health is outside the city, in the town of Salar in the Kibray district of the Tashkent region (1 Orom Street; phones +998 78 150-79-34 and +998 78 150-04-60, email mentalhealthcenteruz@gmail.com). Its website says an identity document is required and that requirements depend on the patient's age and the nature of the condition. Children's appointments and ASD are not mentioned there, so before traveling call and ask three things: whether they see children with suspected ASD, whether an appointment is needed in advance, and which documents are needed for a child.

There are many private clinics in Tashkent offering "ASD diagnosis", and their directories are mostly advertising. Before paying, find out who exactly runs the appointment (a child psychiatrist or a psychoneurologist), whether the institution holds a license for psychiatric care and whether it issues a written conclusion that a kindergarten, a school and the disability commission will accept. Price guides go stale fast, but here is what parents reported: in 2021 a single doctor's visit could cost around 100,000 som, and monthly sessions with an ABA specialist in 2022 came to roughly 500 dollars.

If you do not live in Tashkent

In the regions the entry point is the same, the family doctor. Kun.uz wrote in 2019 that regional multi-profile central polyclinics employ speech therapist-psychoneurologists, and that autism was often identified only at the medical check before school. RCSAD has branches in Fergana, Samarkand and Karshi. Presidential Resolution PP-196 of June 19, 2023 provided for "early intervention rooms" in the children's departments of district multi-profile polyclinics (5 billion som from the budget), but whether such a room works in your district the document does not say, and it is worth asking the polyclinic directly. The word "autism" does not appear in that resolution at all. Parents also describe another quirk (Daryo, 2022): before the age of two doctors usually record "speech development delay" and do not hurry with an ASD wording. There is no need to wait for the official word to start working with your child.

Diagnosis and disability: what has changed

Under the law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” a child with a disability is a person under 18 with persistent impairments who needs the support and protection of the state. Since October 1, 2024, Resolution PP-257 abolished the specialized medical-social expert commissions (MSEC), including pediatric and psychiatric ones: disability is now set by inter-district and district (city) commissions. You can apply through a family doctor, through the my.gov.uz portal, at an Inson center (what these centers are) or via a social worker, and the family doctor sends the documents to the commission electronically. Under the 2022 regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 62) the documents include a referral on form 088/u and extracts from the outpatient record. The functionality assessment on the WHO scale at Inson centers is set for people over 18, and until January 1, 2027 its results are not accepted as grounds for disability. The text has no separate procedure for children: the agency was to prepare proposals by September 1, 2025, so the freshest list of documents for a child is best clarified at your district Inson center.

What you can do without waiting for a diagnosis

A diagnosis is needed for paperwork, but you can start working with your child earlier. Under the new early intervention procedure, some services for children under three are available on a family doctor's note of developmental delay risk. How to get a voucher and which centers operate, we covered in the article on ABA therapy in Uzbekistan. In parallel you can complete a VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R skills assessment, which does not depend on the queue to a psychiatrist.

How this fits into Sense Behavior's programs

We do not ask for a ready psychiatric conclusion to start: the program is built on our own assessment of your child's skills, and a family anywhere in the country works at the same pace as in Tashkent. You can start with a free thirty-minute consultation, where we will go through what you have already noticed and how to fit sessions into the diagnostic path you have begun or are only planning.