French NGO Raises Autism Awareness with World Premiere White Paper

Rabat – The French NGO “Vaincre L’autisme” and its international scientific committee have published a white paper on the autism spectrum to help families better understand the condition.

The 30-page report is available for free on the association’s website in both French and English and contains information about the spectrum condition, also called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for the sake of global awareness.

M’Hammed Sajidi, president of Vaincre L’autisme, stated: “This White Paper … collects all the current datas (sic) of medicine and science of autism..”

Sahidi says that the paper is a “world premiere” publication and is easy to read, providing information about autism diagnosis, genetic causes, and treatments.

The paper is “aimed at all stakeholders, all societies, their government and their media,” and “will widely disseminate valuable knowledge for a coherent and rational public action,” states the website.

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), autism is “a range of conditions characterised by some degree of impaired social behaviour, communication and language, and a narrow range of interests and activities that are both unique to the individual and carried out repetitively.”

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The WHO estimates that 1 in 160 children worldwide have autism. Morocco does not have relevant official data for autism numbers, and healthcare focused on autism is nearly non-existent in the country.

The lack of research or medical training specialized in autism has caused misconceptions and lack of awareness about autism in the North African country. Parents of children with autism are left to handle the condition alone.

Morocco’s educational system does not provide much scope for children to study freely. Children with autism sometimes find little space in classrooms in public or private schools.