Autism Center of Excellence

The Autism Center of Excellence is a non-profit center established under the auspices of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and Saudi banks, represented by the Saudi Central Bank. It is driven by a sense of social responsibility towards individuals on the autism spectrum. The center's vision is to establish a national reference for the care of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Its mission encompasses the empowerment, diagnosis, and evaluation of cases, support for affected families, and the provision of social services. These services include raising awareness, educating, and contributing to the enrichment of specialized content in this field. The center was inaugurated on November 8, 2020, in the Ulaishah neighborhood of Riyadh City.

The Autism Center of Excellence aims to make an impact on the rehabilitation services sector for those with autism spectrum disorder, to improve their quality of life and empower them, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. The center provides comprehensive services for supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families, including rehabilitation services, assessment and diagnosis sessions, treatment sessions, counseling programs, and remote rehabilitation for the family. The center also offers community-based programs, including awareness-raising and edification, vocational rehabilitation programs for persons with autism, as well as services for practitioners and specialists in the field, such as training. Furthermore, the center contributes to research studies specializing in autism spectrum disorder.

The achievements of the Autism Center of Excellence are highlighted in the service of persons with autism spectrum disorder. A statistic was provided for 2022, which includes 349 comprehensive assessment cases, including 92,627 hours of therapy and sixty-four hours of free training. This benefited 211 practitioners with autism spectrum disorder, as well as 130 families participating in the 'I Train My Child' program, through 1,126 treatment sessions. The center also presented an educational podcast, 'Autism Chat Podcast,' which benefited 22,997 listeners. It hosted seventeen lectures and ninety-six scientific articles presented to 834 beneficiaries.

In 2022, the Autism Center of Excellence received certification from the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence for a three-year period, marking the first time an entity outside the United States of America attained it for such duration. The BHCOE is a prominent legal entity in evaluating rehabilitation service centers offering behavioral therapy in particular, as well as assessing the integration of comprehensive rehabilitation services provision, including language and communication therapy, occupational therapy, commitment to quality standards, and evidence-based interventions.