Autistic children: Autartis, a new school in Béziers to respond to parents’ dismay

Jean-Michel Peyrat has been working on this project for 5 years. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

Teihura, the Koh Lanta star who lives in Cazouls-lès-Béziers, was chosen as a sponsor. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

Les deux bâtiments fermés et sécurisés d'Autartis. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

Ouvert en octobre 2023, l'établissement était officiellement inauguré ce jeudi 23 septembre, en présence de très nombreux partenaires, tous unanimes. Sur le site de Villamont, une quarantaine d'enfants différents sont déjà accueillis.

Lots of people and beautiful people, this Thursday, September 26, in the Amilhac woods, a vast and peaceful pine forest, property of the Agglo Béziers Méditerranée, in the town of Servian. The school for autistic children, supported by the Autartis association. A private initiative, welcomed by all: regional councilor, representative of the prefect, no less than four deputies, municipal councilor Emmanuelle Ménard, the mayor of Servian Christophe Thomas but also entrepreneurs and patrons…

Opened in October 2023 to accommodate 12 children, the place now receives around forty children aged 6 to 15, spread over three poles (educational, therapy and respite). "The respite pole welcomes all children and teenagers who are too strict and therefore excluded everywhere", explains Jean-Michel Peyrat who has been working on this project for 5 years. Discreet, the guy built this place from scratch, and with the support of the Agglo de Béziers which provides free of charge 5,000 m2 of this site which housed the Villamont leisure center until last February before its closure.

“An obstacle course”

At the microphone, the different partners (speech therapist, occupational therapist, animal mediator, etc.) follow one another, showing all the links in an essential chain that responds to a cruel lack of places and structures for these different children. Lucie Montalban, a representative of the parents of students, recalls: “My life changed when I learned that my little boy was autistic, he was 1 year old”. And to detail"an obstacle course from diagnosis to the end of life" : "It takes 6 or 7 years to get a place. You have to fight to be accepted at school, to find competent professionals, to obtain financial aid… Autartis seems like a utopia but it can become a reality."

Wellness area and training institute

Because the project has not finished developing. Two other components are in progress. The first is the construction of a wellness area dedicated to parents at the entrance to the establishment in 2025. Reading, TV, care… will be offered to mothers or fathers who are expecting their little ones. A partnership with the Béziers hairdressing school is even under consideration. An architectural firm is working on the plans. And a crowdfunding campaign should soon be launched. “Many companies are already positioning themselves to support us on this subject”, emphasizes Jean-Michel Peyrat.

The next step will be the training of supervisors with the creation of a mentoring training center, that is to say, combining theory and practice. The future International Institute of Innovation Action Development Solution Autism has already been presented to the prefect. “This is the solution”, argues Jean-Michel Peyrat, who knows his roadmap by heart and relies on solid professional experience and a network abroad. For his son, Achille, affected by autism, he has already moved mountains. And it's not over yet.

Bridges with ASBH

When the Villamont leisure center closed, ASBH positioned itself to take it over with a sports dimension. Bridges were then imagined between the Béziers rugby club and the Autartis association. This was described by Eric Freitas, the president of the ASBH Association and Christophe Chollet, the Association's sports director, this Thursday morning, during the inauguration. “It's about breaking down barriers, telling ourselves that there's room for everyone. Yes, we can welcome these children at through physical activities, fun games." "The club of the future must turn towards the people who need us", concluded Eric Freitas.

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