Addressing Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) remains a national priority, affirmed Health Minister Professor Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudène this Monday at the opening of national training workshops dedicated to supporting autistic children, held at the National School of Administration on the initiative of the Minister of National Solidarity, Souria Mouloudji.
These workshops, continuing over several days, reflect the public authorities’ determination to place autism within a structured and sustainable dynamic, mobilizing all concerned sectors.
In his address, the Health Minister recalled that ASD prevalence is rising sharply, posing major medical and social challenges. He stressed the urgency of strengthening early diagnosis and ensuring comprehensive care integrating medical, psychological, educational, and social dimensions.
For several years, the health sector has worked to consolidate a national framework guaranteeing continuous support for autistic children and better assistance for their families, from early detection to social integration.
Highlighting the complexity of autism spectrum disorders, the minister emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach. Accordingly, a dedicated national plan for autism has been developed in consultation with relevant sectors, national experts, and the associative movement.
He recalled that President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune has clearly placed autism among national priorities, thereby affirming the State’s commitment to promoting inclusion, protecting the rights of autistic children, and sustainably improving their quality of life.
The minister also highlighted recorded progress, particularly the creation of child and adolescent psychiatry as a specialty, as well as the progressive strengthening of specialized facilities. Algeria now has around twenty units dedicated to autism, several with hospital-university roles, supported by an evolving network of specialists.
These achievements form a solid foundation for deploying the national plan and harmonizing practices nationwide.
The national strategy rests on several priority axes: improving early diagnosis, ongoing specialized training, societal awareness-raising, family support, and encouraging applied scientific research.
Finally, the Health Minister reaffirmed his department’s full commitment to implementing this roadmap in close coordination with other sectors, stressing that its success will depend on collective mobilization and national solidarity.
The national training workshops on the new pedagogical program for managing autistic children continue at the Moulay Ahmed Medghri National School of Administration. Launched by the Minister of National Solidarity, these three-day sessions bring together administrative executives, experts, academics, and professionals specialized in clinical psychology, speech therapy, education sciences, and functional rehabilitation.
Representatives from the sectors of National Education, Health, and Labor, as well as associative actors engaged in autism, are also participating in these proceedings.
Framed by national experts, the trainings combine scientific conferences, practical workshops, and interactive exchanges. They target national solidarity professionals, teachers, specialized facility educators, and all interveners involved in diagnosing, rehabilitating, and supporting autistic children.