The laboratory of Psychometrics and Counselling of University of Algiers 2 Abou El Kacem Saâdallah, organized the third International Congress on Autism spectrum (Diagnosis, Treatment and Counselling): Reality and Prospects, with the participation of teachers and specialists coming from Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq and from other parts of the country.

The International Congress has been opened by the address of the Congress Chair, Dr. Hassiba Berrazouane, who talked about the Congress main issue, showing that almost a child among 160 has the symptom of autism spectrum disorder and added that this latest is increasing at the global scale.  Besides, the Congress Chair talked about the importance of early diagnosis and the care of the autistic child by applying known global programmes, emphasising the importance of training and guiding the parents to accompany their children.

For his part, the Head of Psychometrics and Counselling laboratory, Dr. Fathi Zeggar, confirmed that more than a hundred researchers have participated with more than seventy scientific articles which would make important suggestions, and that would be used for helping the autistic children. 

Moreover, Pr Nacereddine Zebdi, the Dean of Social Sciences Faculty, stated that the phenomenon is quite natural and clarified that there is nothing to fear with the suitable means of care and adaptation. The Dean talked about the symptoms that accompanies this disorder and indicated the results of the main studies in this field.    

The Rector of the University, Pr. Ammar Manaa, talked about the autistic spectrum disorder, in his address, and its symptoms that occur in children with autism before the age of three such as isolation, inability to social interaction and failure to communicate with others and parent dependency in the simple things of life.  

Furthermore, the Rector indicated that the prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder is four times higher among boys than girls, and emphasized on the role of parents concerning the re-education therapies for this category.   

A film documentary showing the work of the Association for Supporting Autism Spectrum Disorder took place, and a tribute has been paid for two autistics who have succeeded in their studies, one is studying in the middle school and the other is at the university.

The Conference aims to highlight the reality of autistic spectrum disorder in the Algerian society and raises the reality of the schooling of children with autism and the role of accompanying adults in the school life. Moreover, it exposes the different world training programmes for the benefit of autistics and their parents.   

The main axes of the Conference relate to: the reality of autistic spectrum disorder extent in the Algerian society and the psychological and social problems encountered by autistic children and their parents; diagnosis of the autistic disorder in general and in particular within the Algerian society; the reality of autistic children schooling and the role of the accompanying adults in the school life; psychological, social and medical care.