The availability of services for children with autism spectrum disorder in a Saudi population

OBJECTIVE: To assess the perceived availability of various services provided by Autism centers in our region. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted from March to May 2015 involving health care workers at various governmental and private autism centers in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A structured 30-item questionnaire was designed to assess their demographics, training, experience, and the availability of various services at their centers. RESULTS: Twelve autism centers were included and 136 employees participated in the study. Seventy-eight (57%) participants indicated that their center lacked important and essential services. These included programs for home care and outreach (59%), family recognition incentives and rewards (51%), integrative educational programs (39%), and occupational therapy (16%). Access for outside referral for these services was available in only 24% of cases. They cited several major obstacles in providing adequate service including; family involvement (24%), child’s behavioral problems (13%), increased number of students (9%), and work environment and space (5%). CONCLUSION: Significant deficiencies exist in the availability of autism services in our region. Access for referrals for important services is also limited. We identified several areas that can be targeted to help develop, promote, and improve the provided services for children with autism spectrum disorder.