APPDA LISBOA

What APPDA LISBOA does

APPDA LISBOA (legal name: Associação Portuguesa para as Perturbações do Desenvolvimento e Autismo Lisboa) is a Portuguese Private Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) founded on 16 March 1971, originally as APPCA — the first association in Portugal dedicated to supporting people with autism spectrum disorder and their families. The organization operates exclusively in the autism vertical and delivers the full continuum of care, from clinical diagnosis and therapeutic intervention through special education, day programs, and 24-hour residential living, alongside community-inclusion outreach. Service lines are operated under distinct brands: Atípica (clinical diagnosis/intervention and external training/consultancy, including psychiatry, psychopedagogy, psychomotor skills, speech therapy, and psychometric assessment); CACI (Centro de Atividades e Capacitação para a Inclusão, day programs); EEE (special-education establishment); Lares Residenciais (residential homes at Ajuda and Zambujal); and CRI (Centro de Recursos para a Inclusão, school-based itinerant support reaching 8+ schools and 143+ students). Complementary initiatives include The Ziguais music band (and its documentary, billed as the first documentary about autism in Portugal), the Desafiar Limites CrossFit-based physical-activity program (BPI Capacitar 2021 winner), the AUTêntico pictogram-adapted newspaper (23 editions since 2019), and the Produtos AUTênticos handcraft line. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the underlying "technology" is therapeutic methodology, an in-person delivery model, and a digital presence (website, email booking, social channels).

The organization's revenue model is a hybrid typical of Portuguese IPSS: (1) government and social-security funding flowing through the IPSS designation for residential, day-care, and special-education services; (2) recurring membership quotas (€5/month, €30/semi-annual, or €60/annual) plus a €25 initiation fee; (3) clinical service fees under the Atípica brand (pricing not publicly disclosed); (4) donations via bank transfer, MBWAY, and IRS tax consignation at 1% (NIF 505 713 705); (5) handcraft product sales (Produtos AUTênticos); and (6) grants from foundations such as BPI Fundação "la Caixa" Capacitar (won in 2021 and 2023). Distribution is direct-to-beneficiary through two physical facilities (Sede da Ajuda in Lisbon and Lar Residencial do Zambujal in São Domingos de Rana), supplemented by the online Atípica consultation booking flow and school outreach via CRI.

Strategically, APPDA LISBOA is in a modernization phase: it rebranded in November 2020, consolidated its clinical and training offerings under the Atípica brand in November 2023, and is using successive BPI grants to expand the Clínica Autismo project and the Desafiar Limites program into schools. The organization is a founding member of FPDA (Federação Portuguesa do Autismo, 2003) and a member of Autism-Europe, anchoring it in national and European autism-advocacy networks. It carries no disclosed parent company, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, and no patent portfolio; leadership comprises an elected Direction (President: Maria Paula Figueiredo) and named technical directors for administrative, pedagogical, CACI, and residential operations.

Name

APPDA LISBOA

Legal name

ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA PARA AS PERTURBAÇÕES DO DESENVOLVIMENTO E AUTISMO LISBOA

Website

https://appda-lisboa.org.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

APPDA LISBOA is a Portuguese non-profit IPSS founded in 1971, providing comprehensive autism-specific services in Lisbon including clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, special education, residential care, and community inclusion programs for individuals with ASD and their families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autism social services and clinical intervention

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Educational Support Services (61171), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism-Specific Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ)

Keywords

• Autism social services
• Clinical autism intervention
• Special education establishment
• Residential autism care
• Autism training consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (quotas): Associates pay an initiation fee (jóia) of €25 plus monthly quotas of €5 (totaling €30 for 6 months), semi-annual quotas of €30, or annual quotas of €60. This recurring membership revenue supports the association's operations.
2. Clinical services (Atípica): The Atípica brand provides paid clinical services including psychiatry consultations (first and follow-up), psychopedagogy, psychomotor skills, speech therapy, and psychometric assessment for children and adolescents. Revenue is generated through service fees billed to clients.
3. IRS tax consignation: Citizens can consign 1% of their IRS to APPDA LISBOA (NIF 505713705) at no cost. Tax donations provide a meaningful recurring revenue stream from individual taxpayers.
4. Donations and social support: Direct monetary donations via bank transfer (IBAN PT50 0010 0000 2577 6970 0017 5) and MBWAY (963489018). Organizations and individuals can also make tax-deductible donations.
5. Product sales (Produtos AUTênticos): Handcrafted products — ceramics, textiles, horticultural produce — made by people with autism, sold via email order. Merchandising for The Ziguais band and Desafiar Limites sports equipment is also sold. The AUTHENTIC newspaper is sold at €0.50 (members) or €1.00 (non-members).
6. Social institution funding: As an IPSS (Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social), APPDA LISBOA receives government funding and social security support for operating its residential homes, day centers, and special education establishments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

APPDA LISBOA delivers specialized social and clinical services exclusively for people with autism spectrum disorder, including diagnosis and intervention (Atípica — psychiatry, psychopedagogy, psychomotor therapy, speech therapy, psychometric assessment), specialized training and consultancy, special education (EEE), a day-activity centre (CACI), residential homes (Lares Residenciais), school and community inclusion support (CRI), and community programs (Desafiar Limites adaptive CrossFit, The Ziguais music band). It also sells handcrafted Produtos AUTênticos made by users with autism and publishes the adapted AUTêntico newspaper, while sustaining operations through membership fees, donations, grants and IPSS government support.

Product overview

APPDA LISBOA is a non-profit association (IPSS) providing a comprehensive range of services for people with autism in Lisbon, Portugal. The organization operates under two main service brands: ATÍPICA, which encompasses clinical diagnosis and intervention services (including psychiatry, psychopedagogy, psychomotor skills, and speech therapy) as well as training and consulting; and several residential and educational services including the Centro de Atividades e Capacitação para a Inclusão (CACI), Estabelecimento de Educação Especial (EEE), Lares Residenciais (LR), and Centro de Recursos para a Inclusão (CRI). The organization also runs social initiatives including The Ziguais music band, the Desafiar Limites adaptive sports project, and sells handcrafted products through its AUTênticos product line. Its official publication is the AUTêntico newspaper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Desafiar Limites: Sports and physical activity project for people with autism, involving CrossFit training.
• The Ziguais
• AUTêntico
• Produtos AUTênticos

Products and services

• ATÍPICA — Diagnóstico e Intervenção Clinical service providing autism-specific diagnosis and intervention for children and adolescents, including psychiatry consultations (first and follow-up), psychopedagogy, psychomotor therapy, speech therapy and psychometric assessment. Delivered at APPDA LISBOA's facilities in Lisbon and bookable through the website.
• ATÍPICA — Formação e Consultoria Training and consultancy service focused on autism awareness and inclusion, providing customized training programs for families, schools, healthcare professionals and community organizations.
• Centro de Recursos para a Inclusão (CRI) Resource centre supporting the inclusion of people with autism in educational and community settings through itinerant professionals who deliver support services directly in schools and community settings.
• Estabelecimento de Educação Especial (EEE) Special education establishment providing educational services tailored for people with autism, delivered under APPDA LISBOA's pedagogical direction.
• Centro de Atividades e Capacitação para a Inclusão (CACI) Day-activity and capacity-building centre developing skills and promoting the inclusion of people with autism, delivered under a dedicated technical director.
• Lares Residenciais (LR) Residential homes providing 24-hour care and support for adults with autism, with facilities at the Ajuda headquarters (Lar Residencial da Ajuda) and São Domingos de Rana (Lar Residencial do Zambujal).
• Produtos AUTênticos Handcrafted product line including ceramics, textiles and hortofloriculture created by people with autism, plus The Ziguais band merchandise and Desafiar Limites sports equipment, ordered via email ([email protected]).
• AUTêntico — Jornal Oficial Official newspaper of APPDA LISBOA created collaboratively by people with autism and staff, adapted with pictograms for universal accessibility. Sold at €0.50 per copy for members and €1.00 for non-members, with postal shipping available via CTT (€0.75).
• Desafiar Limites — Adaptive Sports Program Adaptive physical-activity and CrossFit program designed to improve fitness, well-being and quality of life for people with autism, co-developed with CrossFit AlphaDen and supported by Decathlon Amadora. Winner of Prémio BPI Fundação "la Caixa" Capacitar 2021.
• The Ziguais — Music Band and Inclusion Initiative Music band composed of people with autism from APPDA LISBOA promoting inclusion through music and the subject of the first documentary about autism in Portugal, premiered at Fundação Oriente on 02/04/2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 participants regularly attending CrossFit sessions with increasing motivation and reduced agitation symptoms
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NOVA SBE (NOVA School of Business & Economics)minorOthers · 1 January 2023NOVA SBE in Carcavelos was the venue for APPDA LISBOA's 2023 Seminar, hosted at the school's campus.
• Fundação Decathlon / Decathlon AmadoracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Decathlon Amadora validated the partnership between the store and APPDA LISBOA to support the expansion of the DESAFIAR LIMITES project. Decathlon provides sports equipment and support to reduce barriers to sports practice for people with autism.
• Decathlon Amadora (VitalSport 2022)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022APPDA LISBOA was an official partner of VitalSport 2022, an event hosted at Decathlon Amadora where the DESAFIAR LIMITES project was showcased and community members could try CrossFit activities.
• Tiago Lousa / CrossFit ALPHADENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Endurance athlete and CrossFit ALPHADEN CEO Tiago Lousa attempted to break the Guinness World Record for most burpees in one hour on 1 November 2021, as a fundraising event for the gym renovation of APPDA LISBOA. The event raised funds for the DESAFIAR LIMITES project.
• CrossFit AlphaDencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CrossFit AlphaDen is the co-development partner for the DESAFIAR LIMITES project. AlphaDen's psychomotor specialists trained APPDA LISBOA staff on CrossFit methodology, while APPDA LISBOA trained AlphaDen coaches on autism characteristics. Together they developed autism-specific CrossFit programs for children and young adults.
• Federação Portuguesa do Autismo (FPDA)coreOthersAPPDA LISBOA is a founding member of FPDA, the Portuguese Federation for Autism. The two organizations collaborate on national autism advocacy, congress participation, and representation at international level through Autism-Europe.
• Autism-EuropecoreOthersAPPDA LISBOA participates in Autism-Europe as a member and was represented at the international congress. Through FPDA membership, APPDA is connected to this European-level autism advocacy organization.
• Câmara Municipal de OeirasminorOthersMunicipal government partner supporting APPDA LISBOA's community activities and initiatives.
• Faculdade de Motricidade HumanaminorOthersAcademic institution partnership for research, training, and professional development related to autism and psychomotor therapy.
• Universidade AtlânticaminorOthersUniversity partnership contributing to academic collaboration and research in the autism field.
• Universidade LusíadaminorOthersUniversity partnership for academic collaboration and student involvement in autism-related work.
• EGEACminorOthersEGEAC (Gabinete de Gestão da Entidade de Animação Cultural) partner for cultural events and programming.
• Fundação OrienteminorOthersFundação Oriente hosted the premiere of the documentary "The Ziguais" on 2 April 2022 in its auditorium, providing a prestigious venue for the first documentary about autism in Portugal.
• Casa Pia de LisboaminorOthersCasa Pia de Lisboa is listed as a partner institution, collaborating in the social services network.
• GNR (Hipoterapia)minorOthersNational Republican Guard (GNR) provides hippotherapy (horse-assisted therapy) sessions for APPDA LISBOA users.
• Hospital de S. Francisco XavierminorOthersHospital partnership for medical referrals and healthcare coordination for APPDA LISBOA beneficiaries.
• Inspira HotelsminorOthersInspira Hotels collaborated with APPDA LISBOA, hosting a "Mercado Social" (Social Market) event at Inspira Santa Marta Hotel where APPDA LISBOA sold artisan products made by its users.
• Junta da Freguesia da AjudaminorOthersLocal parish council (Junta da Freguesia da Ajuda) collaborates with APPDA LISBOA as a community partner.
• Ordem dos PsicólogosminorOthersPartnership with the Order of Portuguese Psychologists for professional development and standards in psychological services.
• IEFPminorOthersInstituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP) partners with APPDA LISBOA for employment and vocational training support.
• Associação da Hotelaria de PortugalminorOthersHotelry association partnership for potential hospitality training and employment opportunities for people with autism.
• Cartão SolidáriominorOthersPartnership through the Cartão Solidário program for discounted or free access to services for APPDA LISBOA beneficiaries.
• Fundação D. Pedro IV and Associação de Solidariedade Social D. Pedro VminorOthersFoundations supporting social causes in the Lisbon area, partnering with APPDA LISBOA for mutual social objectives.
• Ginásio Clube PortuguêsminorOthersPortuguese gymnasium club partnership for sports and physical activity collaboration.
• EuroyouthminorOthersEuroyouth is listed as a partner organization, likely for youth engagement and exchange programs.
• APPACDM LisboaminorOthersAPPACDM Lisboa (Associação Portuguesa de Pais e Amigos do Cidadão Deficiente Mental) is a partner organization in the disability sector.
• AMPLAminorOthersAMPLA is listed as a partner organization.
• Farmácia BelémminorOthersLocal pharmacy partnership for health-related support to APPDA LISBOA users.
• Miranda e AssociadosminorOthersLaw firm partnership providing legal advisory support to APPDA LISBOA.
• MutaçãominorOthersCreative agency partnership, possibly for design and branding work including the Desafiar Limites project identity.
• João Pereira - BackstudiominorOthersDesign studio partnership for creative work and branding.
• TORKE CCminorOthersListed as a partner organization of APPDA LISBOA.
• TworldsminorOthersProduction company partnership, potentially for The Ziguais documentary or other media projects.
• Voluntário com AsasminorOthersVolunteer organization partnership supporting APPDA LISBOA's volunteer programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CRIN - Centro de Reabilitação e Integração Nacional: Portuguese IPSS providing rehabilitation, residential, day programs, and training services for people with disabilities across multiple regions. A direct peer in the Portuguese disability social-solidarity ecosystem with similar IPSS funding structure and multi-service delivery model.
• CERCICA: Cooperativa para a Educação e Reabilitação de Crianças Inadaptadas operating in the Lisbon region, providing specialized education, rehabilitation, and residential services for children and youth with disabilities and developmental conditions. A direct peer in the Portuguese social-solidarity disability services ecosystem.
• APPACDM Lisboa: Associação Portuguesa de Pais e Amigos do Cidadão Deficiente Mental — Lisboa, a Portuguese IPSS providing disability support services including residential, day programs, and education. Listed as a confirmed partner of APPDA LISBOA and operates a directly comparable service model for intellectual/developmental disabilities in the same Lisbon region.
• Casa Pia de Lisboa: Historic Portuguese IPSS providing residential care, education, and social support services for vulnerable children and youth in Lisbon. Listed as a confirmed partner of APPDA LISBOA and shares a comparable IPSS funding/governance model for social services delivery in the same region.
• APPDA Coimbra: Sister APPDA regional chapter operating in the Coimbra region of Portugal. Provides the same autism-exclusive continuum of services (diagnosis, education, residential) under the APPDA brand, making it a direct service-delivery peer with shared brand heritage but different geographic catchment.

Regional players

• APPDA Porto: APPDA regional chapter serving the Porto/northern Portugal region. Operates an autism-exclusive service model under the shared APPDA identity but focuses on a different geography than APPDA LISBOA, making it a regional peer with overlapping mission.

Others

• Autism-Europe: European-level umbrella federation of autism associations, of which APPDA LISBOA is a member via FPDA. Coordinates international advocacy, hosts congresses (where APPDA LISBOA presented Desafiar Limites in 2022), and sets pan-European autism policy — comparable as the international coordinating body for autism NGOs.
• Federação Portuguesa do Autismo (FPDA): Portuguese national federation of autism associations, founded in 2003 with APPDA LISBOA as a founding member. Acts as the umbrella advocacy body for autism in Portugal and coordinates representation at international bodies like Autism-Europe. Comparable as the national-level coordinating entity for autism services.

Broad incumbents

• National Autistic Society (NAS): UK-based national autism charity and the largest autism-specific organization in Europe, providing diagnosis, education, residential services, and advocacy at national scale. Comparable as a broader incumbent with a similar autism-exclusive service portfolio but operating at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Associação Portuguesa de Síndrome de Asperger: Portuguese non-profit focused on Asperger Syndrome support, including diagnosis, intervention, and advocacy. While narrower in scope (focusing specifically on Asperger's) than APPDA LISBOA's full autism spectrum coverage, it operates in the same Portuguese autism services space and competes for similar donor and member pools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/appda-lisboa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about APPDA LISBOA