Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 2573 - Children with ASD : the swiss situation |
|---|---|
| Contribution code | PS02-05 (P) |
| Authors | |
| Form of presentation | Poster |
| Topic |
|
| Abstract |
Objectives At the request of the Federal Council of Switzerland, the current situation of autism in Switzerland was examined. The research project was conducted between 2013 and 2014 and attempts to obtain an overview of the services offered to children and young adults with ASD (0-25 years). The purpose was to compare relationship between supply and demand and to suggest ways of improving quality of service offered and inter-cantonal coordination and co-operation. Methods Data were based on official statistics from public services such as “registre central de l’assurance-invalidité (AI)” and child psychiatric services (N=6). A review of the literature focusing mainly on the situation in Switzerland provides additional indications. Qualitative data were obtained from 35 interviews with experts in various fields : diagnosis, interventions, education and training, professional integration, support to families and encouragement of autonomy, advice and coordination. Results The results show that the situation in Switzerland has greatly improved over the last years but there are still too many gaps. Although AI’s benefits are becoming increasingly important and specialized services are gradually developing, supply is not meeting current demand. The services provided are insufficient in each field targeted by the research, both in terms of quantity and quality. There is mainly a lack of training of professionals. They should be able to use tools adapted to the disorder, for diagnosis as for intervention. Furthermore, improvement of coordination, between services but also between cantons, is necessary : although AI’s benefits are differentiated according to the type of disorder, there is not always consistency with diagnosis established by child psychiatric services. Finally, the results highlight important inter-cantonal differences, particularly with regard to the financing of benefits. Conclusion Although this research has shown improvements of support services for children with ASD in Switzerland, gaps have been identified in many fields. Resources still need to be mobilized in order to implement the proposed recommendations. |