Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality, and Family (MSDEF) announced a new support service for individuals with autism. The service specializes in communication, active listening, and personal and academic orientation.
MSDEF announced the support service on April 3. The service is part of the Raafiq Program, launched in 2019. Raafiq focuses on education and social rehabilitation.
Experts in education and integration will support people on the autism spectrum during the novel coronavirus crisis. The service also provides support for families with children who have autism.
The service will orient and advise families about autistic individuals’ psychological health. Experts in pedagogy will help families to develop well-organized schedules for studies and extracurricular activities, which are more important than ever during isolation and a break from established day-to-day routines.
The service will also explain COVID-19 preventive measures for parents and for individuals with autism. Experts will provide credible information and advice recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health in a manner specifically tailored to support this demographic.
The service will receive and answer questions from individuals with autism and their families on an established call line. MSDEF provided the service’s phone numbers on www.social.gov.ma, under the section “People With Disabilities.”
The initiative aligns with MSDEF efforts to mobilize its services for the benefit of all individuals facing various health or social difficulties, and to ensure continuity of studies and training for marginalized individuals during the novel coronavirus crisis.
Morocco has registered 844 infected cases as of Saturday, April 4 at 8 a.m. The country’s death toll stands at 50 and the number of recoveries stands at 59.
The North African country declared a state of health emergency on March 19 and entered a nationwide lockdown on March 20. The lockdown is slated to continue until April 20.
