{"id":9831,"date":"2026-08-26T21:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/?p=9831"},"modified":"2026-08-26T21:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:50:16","slug":"autism-screening-call-for-better-integration-of-clinical-psychologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/2026\/08\/26\/autism-screening-call-for-better-integration-of-clinical-psychologists\/","title":{"rendered":"Autism Screening: Call for Better Integration of Clinical Psychologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The launch of the national screening campaign for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has reopened debate over the role of clinical psychologists in the care pathway. The National Algerian Union of Psychologists (SNAPSY) is calling for a review of the framework to strengthen the multidisciplinary approach, arguing that the expertise of clinical psychologists cannot be excluded from such a complex process.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The national ASD screening initiative, scheduled as part of preparations for the 2026 social back-to-school season, has raised concerns within SNAPSY. Following a scientific, professional, and legal review of an August 13 official letter from the General Directorate of Prevention and Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health\u2014published Wednesday\u2014the union is questioning the specific role assigned to clinical psychologists during the screening and assessment stages.<\/p>\n

Under the current procedure, children exhibiting suspicious signs are referred from screening and follow-up units to child psychiatry consultations. The formal ASD diagnosis is then determined by the child psychiatrist, with the option to consult a specialist or child psychiatrist from a neighboring province when required.<\/p>\n

SNAPSY argues that this framework fails to clearly define the responsibilities of clinical psychologists, despite existing regulations granting them explicitly established competencies in psychological examination, assessment, and diagnosis.<\/p>\n

The union grounds its position on Executive Decree No. 24-411 of December 28, 2024, which governs the special status of public health clinical psychologists.<\/p>\n

Published in Official Gazette No. 86 on December 29, 2024, the text outlines the duties of these professionals, explicitly including their participation in preventive and therapeutic actions, as well as therapeutic and educational projects. It also incorporates psychological examinations, assessments, diagnostics, and prognostics among their core missions.<\/p>\n

For SNAPSY, this legal provision clearly establishes the qualifications of clinical psychologists in the field of psychological diagnosis. However, the union stresses that it does not seek to replace medical doctors or challenge the medical authority of child psychiatrists.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a clear distinction between medical and psychological diagnoses remains essential. The goal is to ensure both perspectives align seamlessly within a unified care pathway.<\/p>\n

Toward a Genuine Multidisciplinary Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, identification cannot rely on a single observation or isolated evaluation. Autism manifests differently across children and affects multiple developmental dimensions.<\/p>\n

Evaluations can encompass psychological and neurodevelopmental growth, cognitive abilities, attention, executive functions, language, communication, behavior, social interactions, and adaptive capabilities. Family and school environments, co-occurring conditions, and differential diagnoses must also be taken into account.<\/p>\n

During this evaluation phase, SNAPSY maintains that clinical psychologists must play a fully recognized role. Clinical interviews, observations, developmental analyses, test administrations, and data interpretations provide a comprehensive psychological profile of the child’s situation.<\/p>\n

The union stresses that opposing clinical psychologists and child psychiatrists is a misconception. Both fields operate within distinct and complementary spheres of expertise.<\/p>\n

Child psychiatrists retain their medical role in diagnosis and evaluation within their specialty, while clinical psychologists contribute through psychological assessments. Speech therapists, medical doctors, and other specialists can join forces based on each child’s needs. SNAPSY thus advocates for a true multidisciplinary team to cross-reference assessments before establishing a care plan.<\/p>\n

Reducing Delays to Enable Early Detection<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beyond regulatory status, the union highlights a critical public health issue. Relying predominantly on child psychiatry consultations\u2014especially in provinces with few specialists\u2014threatens to overcrowd services and prolong waiting periods.<\/p>\n

Such bottlenecks risk delaying evaluation, diagnosis, and early intervention. SNAPSY emphasizes that the main purpose of early screening is the rapid identification of children needing care. Achieving this requires mobilizing every available professional within public health facilities.<\/p>\n

The success of a national autism screening campaign depends on mobilizing available talent and ensuring effective collaboration. The goal is not deciding who diagnoses autism, but delivering thorough, swift, and scientifically grounded evaluations.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, SNAPSY seeks a care path where every professional fulfills their role without overlap or exclusion\u2014an approach that better serves children, supports families, and elevates the quality of ASD screening and care.T<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The launch of the national screening campaign for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has reopened debate over the role of clinical psychologists in the care pathway. The National Algerian Union of Psychologists (SNAPSY) is calling for a review of the framework to strengthen the multidisciplinary approach, arguing that the expertise of clinical psychologists cannot be excluded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,79],"tags":[2210,19],"class_list":["post-9831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-domestic","category-health","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-top-news"],"byline":"Lynda Louifi.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9831"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9833,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9831\/revisions\/9833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}