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📝 Paperwork and rights

The path to support

Diagnosis, certificate, pension and ID card, in the order that works. And what Mexican law says about school, with letters ready to fill out.

The path to support, in order

Many families get lost because each step asks for a document that comes from the one before. This is the order that works.

  1. 1

    Diagnosis

    From a pediatric neurologist, child psychiatrist or specialized psychologist. For the pension, it’s best if it comes from a public institution (IMSS, the Mexican Social Security Institute; ISSSTE, health care for government workers; the Secretaría de Salud, the Ministry of Health; or DIF, the family welfare agency). In Nuevo León, Centro TEA+ diagnoses for free.

    Always ask for the diagnosis and the report in writing.

  2. 2

    Disability certificate

    Issued by evaluation centers authorized by the Secretaría de Salud. It’s free and lasts 1 to 5 years. Ask at your IMSS or ISSSTE clinic, health center or DIF where they issue it.

    Official standard: NOM-039-SSA-2023 (in Spanish).

  3. 3

    Pensión para el Bienestar (federal disability pension)

    From 0 to 29 years old, nationwide: $1,650 pesos a month, paid every two months. Bring originals and copies of: birth certificate, CURP (Mexico’s personal ID code), proof of address no older than 6 months, the certificate from a public institution and the documents of the mother, father or guardian. You register at a Bienestar (federal welfare) office.

    Bienestar hotline: 800 639 42 64. 2026 Operating Rules (in Spanish).

  4. 4

    Credencial Nacional de Discapacidad (National Disability ID Card)

    Issued by the DIF with your current certificate, birth certificate, CURP, proof of address and the ID of the mother, father or guardian. In Nuevo León you apply at the DIF’s CREE (rehabilitation center).

    Official DIF procedure (in Spanish).

  5. 5

    Therapies

    With the diagnosis, look for therapy at the DIF, public universities or associations. While you wait, start at home with visual supports and Mi Voz.

    Directory · Therapy traffic light.

What the law says about school 🇲🇽 Mexico

  • No school, public or private, can refuse to enroll your child or expel them, or require medical treatment as a condition. Ley General de Educación (General Education Law), art. 170, sec. XV · Ley General de Autismo (General Autism Law), art. 17.
  • Your child has the right to inclusive education with reasonable accommodations. Ley General de Educación, arts. 61 to 68.
  • The school must support augmentative communication, like pictures or an app. Ley General de Educación, art. 65.
  • If a private school turns your child away, it can lose its official accreditation. Ley General de Educación, art. 171.

Ley General de Educación · Ley General de Autismo (in Spanish)

If they turn your child away or want them out

  1. Ask them to tell you in writing (use the letter below).
  2. Talk to the school supervisor and your state’s Secretaría de Educación (Department of Education). In Nuevo León: 81 2020 5050.
  3. Public school: file a complaint with your state’s human rights commission. In Nuevo León, the CEDH: 800 822 9113.
  4. Private school: file a complaint with CONAPRED, the National Council to Prevent Discrimination, 800 543 0033. You have one year from when it happened.
  5. Fees or tuition: PROFECO, the federal consumer protection agency, 800 468 8722.

Ready-made letters to fill out

Type your details, check the text and download it to print and sign. Hand it in with a copy and ask them to stamp your copy as received. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

The letter is in Spanish, because that’s what Mexican schools and authorities accept. Switch “Show the letter in” to English to read what it says before you print the Spanish version.

Is it an inclusive school? 10 questions

To ask during your visit, before paying enrollment. Inspired by the ITINERA checklist from Autismo España. Check the ones that apply.

Check the ones that apply.

What’s next?

Watch out for…

“Miracle” therapies, abusive charges and what to ask before paying.

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Printable materials

Boards, routine schedules, social stories, cards and an ID badge.

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Directory

More than 250 specialists, centers and support services in Nuevo León, Mexico City, Jalisco and Aguascalientes, reviewed one by one.

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