Each year, and after every school entry, we hear stories and statements about children, losing one of their basic and important rights, namely education. They are children with autistic disorders, a category whose education requires more effort and exorbitant expenses that burden families, especially those with low income.
In Morocco, the struggle is real, families suffer as public and private schools open their doors to welcome children, except for those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, who are not welcomed, claiming that they’re “aggressive”, “unable to communicate”, and “will affect the learning pace of the class”.
While parents constantly complain about their autistic children getting rejected from private schools, and are advised to hire an assistant who costs them monthly, truth is they are not aware that law 17.51 stands by their autistic children, which highlights that any child with certain disorders has the full right to access any institution, whether public or private. This law has guaranteed rights to children with autism disorder to attend private schools, as well as get integrated into regular classes.
There are no official figures that determine the real number of children with this disorder of behavioral and neurological development, however, based on international prevalence rates, there are 680 thousand autistic people in Morocco, including 216 thousand children, and with an estimated birth rate of 12,800 birth per year, i.e., 35 births per day.
At a time when autistic children are struggling with their “social and psychological isolation”, their families suffer the consequences of this disorder at the school level, in addition to society’s perception, as well as the high financial expenses required to improve the behavior of these children.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that may develop in a child around birth time, with characteristics that affect many areas of a child’s development and can change over time. Both children and adults can have ASD, and its associated difficulties cut across many areas of a person’s daily functioning.
The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in individuals with ASD. Some children, as well as adults, are fully capable of performing daily life activities, while others require substantial support to perform basic ones.
“A loophole of suffering, it is like going in circles through an endless dark cave full of difficulties with no light,” this is how Saida, a mother of a child with autism spectrum disorder, describes her family situation regarding her child’s autism, as well as the constant follow-up required to keep up with him, let alone, the frustrations and deep psychological fractures she faces.
Saida’s first suffering lies in the discovery of her child’s autism a few years ago when she noticed that her child was repeating movements of his head and body constantly before she realized that he was late in pronouncing the word “mama” unlike other children similar to his age.
The autist child’s mother (who preferred not to show herself, nor her child) added that she went to psychologists, considering that there is no specialized doctor in autism, to assure her that her son suffers from the autism spectrum and that its signs include stereotypical behavior, repetition of some movements, lack of response to calls and commands, playing individually, and speech delay.
Saida tells Barlaman Today that she found it very difficult to handle her child at first, because of some strange behaviors at home, such as screaming or laughing for no logical reasons.
The mother continues, “the main problem that stood in her way is her son’s schooling, as she could find a school for her son’s education only after great difficulty,” adding that she knocked on many schools’ doors, however, they refused to accept him for various reasons, putting it in a nutshell, “educational instructors’ lack of understanding of this disease.”
“We are talking about inclusive education, a new term in the pedagogical engineering of the education and training system, which was largely absent in previous years. A child suffering from physical or other compulsions was never able to attend public or private schools.” Says Counsellor and Psychotherapist Hicham Laafou in a statement to Barlaman Today, adding that the topic of autism is a topic that we have become hearing about every beginning of a new school season, as children whose disorder is escalating are refused access to private schools.
Laafou recalls that there is a memorandum of 2021 issued by the former Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, and Scientific Research, Said Amzazi, in addition to law 17.51, which emphasized that children with certain disorders have the full right to access any institution, whether public or private.
“Memorandum No. 21-024 dated March 10, 2021, was sent by former Minister Said Amzazi to the directors of academies as well as private institutions, it served as a reminder of the mandatory application of law 17.51, which imposes on institutions to integrate all learners regardless of their degree of disability, therefore, these institutions are obliged to provide all mechanisms of employment to attract these children and prepare the appropriate descent environment for them.”, highlights Laafou concerning the matter.
To shed some light on the integration of these children, Barlaman Today knocked on different schools’ doors seeking only answers and truth, and roads took us to « Mohamed Rihani School ».
Located in Salé, “Mohamed Rihani School” began integrating children suffering from autism and other mental disorders in 2019. Each class contains one or two autistic children. Meanwhile, instructors are obliged to prepare a unique project plan, as well as tests suitable for every autistic child that would meet his needs. Such tasks consume a lot of time and energy from teachers, but generally speaking, the children manage to follow their program.
On the one hand, follow-ups and teachers’ training are not constant, while on the other hand, the ministry demands effective and fast results, which is difficult to achieve with the way pedagogic training is going.
“Step-by-Step” “خطوة خطوة” Association, provides an educational and significant social role, where it takes care of children and accompanies them through disabilities they face, in order to integrate them into ordinary life.
The association supports children with disorders, including autism in Mohamed Rihani school. After a follow-up period with each child, chances are children will be able to integrate into regular classes. However, during the visit of the Minister of Family and Solidarity, accompanied by the Minister of Education Chakib Benmoussa on September the 15th, both ministers did not agree with separating autistic children from regular classes, yet, it is not possible to integrate them with other children due to their constant behaviors, that can be dangerous for both themselves and other children, especially if they are not accompanied by a school life assistant (known by French acronym AVS). The latter is specialized in assisting children with mental disorders and autism, where every three children are treated by a specialist teacher.
The director of the association, Mrs.Laamri, insisted that every child has the right to go to school and to be welcomed by society no matter how advanced is his condition, adding that difference does not mean exclusion. The creation of the association and the partnership with the Mohammed Rihani School had allowed Salé Tabrikt autist children to access all school spaces including regular classes if the situation of the child allows.
The follow-up of children must occur at an early age, approximately two and a half and three years, so that specialists can better accompany them. Those who get diagnosed late, tend to find more difficulties, and their situation becomes more complicated to get treatment.
The follow-up method in the « Step by Step » Association includes functional therapies, language pathology, and psychomotricity, and adapts to the educational program made by the Ministry of Education according to the cases they have, and the capacities of the children. The staff of the association consists of specialist teachers, semi-medical teams, and executives. They also receive pediatric neurologists, child psychiatrists, and dentists as volunteers.
Once children become able to join a regular class, they can finally be accompanied by school assistants (AVS), paid by the parents, this possibility depends on their financial situation. The problem arises at the judicial level since this sector of educational assistants for autistic children is an unregulated sector, with no charter work plan to avoid possible problems, let alone, the AVS receive almost no training in the field, apart from a few centers like ‘Manar Centre’ in partnership with the AXA insurance company, and the fact that most of AVS does not deposit any diploma or certificate to the regional educational prosecutions to prove their capability, but only sign a commitment.
Some parents are likely to lose their hopes and give up when seeing no result, as the child is getting older and older, this leads to reckless decisions such as sending them to vocational training centers specialized in carpentry, barber, and plumbing, forcing the child’s dream comes to an end, knowing that the Moroccan state provides all the facilities so that autistic people also receive an education like all other children.