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WHO’s autism concept
- Autism, also referred to as autism spectrum disorder is a variety of disorders associated with brain development.
- Autism traits can be detected in early childhood, but it is often diagnosed long after this stage.
- About one in 100 children suffer from autism.
- Autistic people’s abilities and needs vary and can evolve over time. Some people with autism may be able to enjoy an independent life, but others have severe disabilities and require lifelong care and support.
- Evidence-based psychosocial interventions can improve communication skills and social behavior as well as their positive impact on the well-being and quality of life of autistic people and their caregivers.
- Care for autistic people needs to be accompanied by social and community actions to further facilitate, inclusive and supportive.
What does disability mean?
Disability is a condition or function that is judged to be less capable than the standard used to measure its similarities in the same group. The term is commonly used to refer to individual performance, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual inadequacy, mental illness, and many types of chronic diseases. Some persons with disabilities describe this term as linked to the medical model of disability.
Facts and Figures
Autism in Tunisia
Tunisia’s autism spectrum disorder is classified as an intellectual disability.
The number of children with autism spectrum disorder is increasing in Tunisia and accurate official statistical data are not available for this disorder in various forms (mild, medium, and deep).
Public facilities with disabilities
Tunisia has a single public center with a social and educational compound for autistic children in Sidi Hussein Tunisia, a specialized facility that receives children with autism spectrum disorder from the 3 and 10 age group and provides free services for this category, which initial capacity has been limited to 40 children.
There is a Regional Rehabilitation Unit in almost every state with a multidisciplinary group for caring for persons with disabilities.
Children with disabilities may be integrated into mainstream schools. The file of a disabled child must be submitted to the Regional Commission for Disability for School Integration of the Regional Directorate for Social Affairs so that the child can have the right to study in the regular educational system if his file would be approved by the Committee.
Children with disabilities, including autism, accepted by regional integration committees have the right to school integration with or without care givers, the right to free individual education in public and private educational institutions, as stipulated in the joint publication of the Ministries of Education, Health and Social Affairs on the control of procedures for the registration of children with disabilities who are able to integration in the normal educational course.
Specialized education centers with a societal character
A significant number of autism children attend Tunisia’s specialized education centers, which are considered by the Ministry of Social Affairs. These centers usually have a multidisciplinary team to care for their visitors.
One center can accept children with different mental disabilities (carriers of autism spectrum disorder, mental delay..)
There are also some centers for a single type of disability, such as Down’s syndrome, Dye-III-21 or inadequate organic mobility.
These centers cannot exceed its capacity that’s why they remains unable to meet the demands received.
In the private sector
There are special clinics for children’s psychiatry, psychiatrist and several other specializations such as speech assessment, occupational therapy and psychomotor therapy.
There are special centers for specialized education
The cost of rehabilitation income.
The National Health Insurance Fund does not provide for all areas of intervention with the autism child.