JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A new study by the Taub Center and the KI Institute, published today (Wednesday), reveals that children in charedi neighborhoods become eligible for autism benefits at an average age of 4.7 years,a gap of two years compared to children in non-charedi neighborhoods.

The researchers, Dr. Sarit Silverman, Dr. Guy Amit, and Dr. Yair Tzadaka, warned that this delay leads to missing what they called the “golden hour”: the most critical time window for effective early intervention, when a child’s potential for developmental progress is at its highest.

In Arab society and in neighborhoods of low socioeconomic status, a different type of gap was found: many children at high risk do not enter the diagnostic system at all and remain outside the system, despite higher exposure to risk factors characteristic of these populations.

The study data indicate that over two decades, autism diagnosis rates in Israel have increased twentyfold, from 1 in 1,000 children in 2005 to about 20 in 1,000 children in 2025. However, despite rising awareness and social acceptance, the growth is not equal across sectors, and disparities in access to services remain significant.

The study included 16,993 children. The researchers examined the age of autism diagnosis in Israel using data from the Tipat Chalav (infant clinic) system and data from the National Insurance Institute regarding the date of eligibility for benefits.

The findings showed that access to early diagnosis, the critical stage for effective developmental intervention, depends heavily on area of residence and sectoral affiliation. Children from the lowest socioeconomic clusters received eligibility on average 1.3 years later than children from middle-to-upper socioeconomic groups (age 4 versus 2.7).

To address the problem, the researchers propose leveraging the existing public Tipat Chalav infrastructure for universal screening. The plan would be based on a risk-prediction model enabling early identification without requiring additional budget, and would ensure equal access for all sectors from the earliest stages of development.