On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, the Interministerial Delegation for the National Strategy for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (DITND) entrusted the National Agency for Health and Medico-Social Performance (Anap) with a national evaluation of the functioning of the coordination and orientation platforms (PCO). Anap is now publishing the results and its recommendations and is offering an operational toolbox, supplemented by a webinar program to support the PCO teams.
Eight years after their deployment, the 182 coordination and orientation platforms (PCO) in operation play an essential role in access to diagnosis and early support for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
This system, unique in the world, linked to the French healthcare system, allows children (0-12 years) affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder to benefit from a course of care, without any out-of-pocket costs for families.
However, in certain territories, identification still remains too late and admission times too long.
“It is essential to mobilize all the tools and all the energies to help the coordination and guidance platforms accelerate early identification and provide support as closely as possible to the needs of children.”declares Camille Galliard-Minier, Minister responsible for autonomy and disabled people.
“The objective is clear: that children and families have the same quality of response, whatever the territory concerned. The work carried out with Anap contributes to reducing disparities and strengthening the service provided by the platforms” declares Étienne Pot, interministerial delegate for the national strategy for neurodevelopmental disorders.
“I thank the DITND for its trust. Anap’s support has made it possible to identify clear and shared efficiency margins. We will now concretely support the platforms to enable them to gain in readability and efficiency.” declares Stéphane Pardoux, general director of Anap.
Evaluation of the system: simplify, harmonize, equip
Since 2019, more than 140,000 children have been referred to PCOs. The Anap evaluation highlights several points for improvement to continue to reduce the average age of identification, currently 4 years for PCOs 0-6 years old and 9 years for PCOs 7-12 years old:
•Simplify the national framework and the missions assigned to the PCOs: Anap recommends simpler national instructions, focused on fundamental missions.
•Structure an efficient and understandable organization: promote a one-stop shop type organization, structure key stages, develop synergies between professionals, in connection with the establishment of the public early detection service.
•Outiller les PCO : disseminate ready-to-use tools to implement this new organizational model and harmonize practices.
A toolbox for PCOs
A toolbox is made available to PCOs to help them improve their operations. This includes:
•A reference sheet intended to clarify the roles, responsibilities and expectations of each function within the platform.
• Un logigramme simplifying the different stages of file processing, from referral by the attending physician to the end of the process.
•A checklist of benchmarks to prevent malfunctions.
•A simulation tool to adapt the organization of the platform to its context.
Discover the toolbox
A series of webinars to encourage ownership
To support the appropriation of the recommendations and the use of the tools, a program of webinars intended for PCO professionals is offered from June to October 2026. These webinars are organized around key themes of the operation of PCOs: admission process, monitoring and coordination of courses, early identification and network animation.
These exchange times combine presentation of findings, focus on tools, testimonials and questions and answers.
Register for webinars
Les plateformes de coordination et d’orientation (PCO) accueillent les enfants dont le développement suscite des inquiétudes, afin d’orienter les familles concernées vers les différents professionnels et structures compétents. Elles permettent à la fois de :
- réaliser les bilans complémentaires pour établir un diagnostic le cas échéant, dans un délai raisonnable ;
- mettre en œuvre les interventions pluridisciplinaires adéquates sans attendre le diagnostic.
Elles s’appuient pour cela sur un réseau de professionnels libéraux avec lesquels elles conventionnent : psychologues, , psychomotriciens, ergothérapeutes, en liaison avec les autres professionnels directement conventionnés avec l’assurance maladie : médecins, orthophonistes, orthoptistes, kinésithérapeutes, etc…
Les soins sont pris en charge par des forfaits, sans reste à charge pour les familles, pour une durée maximale de deux ans.
Ces structures répondent à un besoin constant : avancer l’âge de la détection d’un ou plusieurs troubles du neurodéveloppement (TND) chez l’enfant, renforcer et intensifier le parcours de bilans et d’interventions dès le repérage de ces troubles. Elles interviennent également dans l’accompagnement et la formation de l’entourage de l’enfant.
