In short
The Registry of the Population with Autism Spectrum Disorder is maintained by the Department of Health. The first thing to know is who fills it in: not you. Every health professional licensed in Puerto Rico — clinical or school psychologist, counsellor, and neurologist, psychiatrist or developmental paediatrician — is obliged to register people diagnosed with autism who reside in Puerto Rico, and must inform the family about the Registry at the start of the evaluation process and before registering the person. Parents or guardians can facilitate the process by telling the professional about that obligation. And it is not only statistics: the Registry can link families of children and young people under 22 with the Interagency Coordinator of the Children with Special Health Needs Programme.
What is it?
The Registry is created under Act No. 220 of 4 September 2012, the Act for the Welfare, Integration and Development of Persons with Autism, known as the BIDA Act, and continues under Act No. 163 of 13 August 2024, the Act for the Protection, Safety, Integration, Welfare and Integral Development of Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Its main purpose is collecting sociodemographic, diagnostic and other related data on the population, in order to establish strategies improving short, medium and long-term planning of service provision. The Department of Health adds that it will also allow families to be linked with services available to the autism population.
Who can do it?
The Registry includes any person with an autism diagnosis residing in Puerto Rico. The Department of Health specifies that the diagnostic evaluation must meet the criteria in its Uniform Protocol for the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, and that the Registry defines autism according to the categories of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in its most recent version, DSM-5-TR. One point that prevents an unnecessary refusal: people diagnosed before the Uniform Protocol was established may also be registered.
Requirements
- Having an autism diagnosis and residing in Puerto Rico.Verified against the official source
- That the diagnostic evaluation meets the criteria of the Department of Health’s Uniform Protocol for the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. People diagnosed before that Protocol was established may also be registered.Verified against the official source
- That the registration is made by a Puerto Rico-licensed health professional from the obligated disciplines: clinical or school psychologist, counsellor, and neurologist, psychiatrist or developmental paediatrician.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Know whose obligation it is
The professional’s. The Department of Health says it without ambiguity: every health professional licensed in Puerto Rico in clinical and school psychology, counselling, neurology, psychiatry and developmental paediatrics is obliged to register people diagnosed with autism who reside in Puerto Rico. It is not a form the family has to go hunting for.
Step 2: Expect it to be mentioned at the start
The professional must inform the family or the diagnosed person about the Registry at the start of the evaluation process and before registering the person. If you reached the end of an evaluation and nobody mentioned it, that is your cue to ask.
Step 3: Raise it yourself if needed
The Department of Health frames it this way: parents or guardians can facilitate this process by informing the health professional about this obligation. In other words, raising it is part of the role the agency itself assigns to the family, not an imposition.
Step 4: Provide complete information
The agency invites parents and guardians to work actively with the professional, providing all the information possible to complete the Registry. The more complete the record, the more useful the link to services that follows.
Step 5: If the child is under 22, ask about the link to services
This is the part most families do not know. The Department of Health states the Registry can link families of children and young people under 22 with the Interagency Coordinator of the Children with Special Health Needs Programme, to orient them and ease the referral process to available services. If your child is in that range, ask about it expressly.
Step 6: If something needs correcting, there is a route
The portal provides, alongside initial registration, for submitting additional information or corrections. You enter with a Health Registries portal account, and for questions there is the Department of Health at (787) 765-2929, extensions 4639 or 4587, or the email registroautismo@salud.pr.gov.
Where to do it
Registration is submitted on the Department of Health’s Health Registries portal, registros.salud.pr.gov, in the Registry of the Population with Autism Spectrum Disorder section, by the health professional with their account. For questions about the Registry, the Department of Health answers at (787) 765-2929, extension 4639 or 4587, and at registroautismo@salud.pr.gov.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If the diagnosis is old, do not rule it out: the Department of Health expressly states that people diagnosed before the Uniform Protocol was established may also be registered. If your professional does not know about the Registry, the agency itself contemplates the family informing them, and the email registroautismo@salud.pr.gov and extensions 4639 and 4587 on (787) 765-2929 exist to resolve the professional’s questions too. If something already submitted needs correcting or expanding, the portal has that option. This guide does not say which services follow from being registered, nor assert that any benefit depends on the Registry, because the Department of Health does not publish that: what it does publish is that the Registry can link families of children under 22 with the Interagency Coordinator of the Children with Special Health Needs Programme. Nor does it state how long it takes or whether registration can be undone, for the same reason. PRFácil does not register anyone, does not access the Registry and gives no clinical guidance.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a form to fill in: the obligation to register belongs to the licensed health professional.
- Finishing an evaluation without anyone mentioning the Registry and not asking.
- Believing a diagnosis predating the Uniform Protocol does not count: the Department of Health says it can be registered.
- Thinking the Registry is only statistics and not asking about the link to services for under-22s.
- Not giving the professional complete information, when the agency expressly invites the family to do so.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register my child myself?
No. The Department of Health states that the Puerto Rico-licensed health professional — clinical or school psychologist, counsellor, and neurologist, psychiatrist or developmental paediatrician — is obliged to register. Parents or guardians can facilitate the process by telling the professional about that obligation and providing all the information possible.
My child was diagnosed years ago. Can they be registered?
Yes. The Department of Health states that people diagnosed before the Uniform Protocol for the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder was established may also be registered.
What is being in the Registry for?
Its main purpose is collecting sociodemographic, diagnostic and related data to improve the planning of service provision. The Department of Health adds that it will allow families to be linked with available services, and that for children and young people under 22 it can link them with the Interagency Coordinator of the Children with Special Health Needs Programme.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico
Salud
registros.salud.pr.gov
- Department of Health — Health Registries
Departamento de Salud
registros.salud.pr.gov
Last verified
August 13, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
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