Indonesia, April 2 -- Jakarta (ANTARA) -

Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has urged the creation of integrated national autism data to strengthen policies, services, and resource planning, citing the absence of comprehensive nationwide surveys.

Rozana Ika Agustiya, a researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, said current autism figures remain estimates, limiting effective policy design and targeted interventions.

"If we know the numbers and distribution, we can plan services, workforce, and budgets. Without data, policies risk missing their targets," she said Thursday.

Agustiya noted that robust data would help map needs across age groups, from early childhood to adolescence, enabl...