30 Years of Proof From the Field

"Thirty Years of Proof From the Field"

Le Silence des Justes will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026. Stéphane Benhamou, its founder, looks back at how far the association has come — and what remains to be done.

Q Since it was founded, what have been the key moments for the association?

We've been through several major turning points. The association was founded in 1996, in partnership with the day hospitals of Antony and Santos-Dumont. For a long time, we moved forward without any real institutional recognition: our first official approval didn't come until 2007.

We then had to adapt to major shifts in public policy, like the turning point in 2008, when the State stopped creating new facilities, or the transformation of health services into Regional Health Agencies. The first national autism plans brought funding, but often to programs that weren't working properly.

From 2010 onward, we faced a massive influx of emergency situations. Then, in 2019, the film Hors Normes (The Specials) marked a turning point: it exposed the system's failures and forced public authorities to respond, including a national funding package of 90 million euros.

Today, I see a positive shift: public policy is becoming more professional and starting to produce responses better suited to real needs. At the same time, France has made great progress in medical research. Exchanges between child psychiatrists and researchers have allowed us to develop tailored support, and to refine our practices considerably.

Q What legacy are you leaving families after 30 years of action?

My conviction is that the situation for autistic people, their families, and professionals has improved. We were in the dark; today, we're in the light. In concrete terms, that means lives are now respected.

Our strength lies in having built an organization based on listening, where anyone can contribute regardless of their role: an idea can come from an intern just as much as from a doctor. We've learned continuously alongside researchers, care and medico-social professionals, and autistic people themselves, along with their loved ones and support workers. That partnership is the source of everything we've built.

Q How would you sum up 2025?

2025 was an intense year, marked by several concrete steps forward. We strengthened our capacity, creating new places across every age group. In particular, we expanded support for very young children, going from 1 to 8 children welcomed from the age of two and a half, with the necessary teams in place.

We also responded to numerous emergency situations, while expanding our activities: cultural trips, discovery stays, inclusive holidays. Workplace inclusion is progressing too. More and more business owners are opening their doors, and we're improving our support to make those pathways more secure.

Finally, our growth requires us to become more structured. Our headcount keeps rising, which means our organization has to keep evolving too, particularly around management functions and human resources.

Q What are your major projects for the years ahead?

Our first priority is to keep creating places while maintaining a high standard of quality. Quantity and quality can't be separated.

We're also working on creating a national platform for at-home support and caregiver assistance. Our goal is to pass on our expertise in emergency intervention by training students, educators, and caregivers across the country. That's how so-called "complex" situations get prevented in the first place.

We're also looking into integrating artificial intelligence — not to replace people, but to develop new communication tools and improve how we're organized. AI will never do the work for us: it depends entirely on what we put into it.

Lastly, we're continuing our international work. After Cameroon and Morocco, we'll be organizing the next Autism Expo in Africa, in Senegal, in 2027. We share our expertise there, while also learning from local practices. Autism is a universal reality.

Q In thirty years, what will life look like for an autistic person in France?

If we keep supporting people appropriately, both in numbers and in quality, needs will decrease. Today, we know how. That wasn't the case thirty years ago.

If we keep up our efforts, without ever letting our guard down, we'll move toward a calmer, more inclusive society — from school all the way to the workplace.

Q How will you be celebrating this 30th anniversary?

We want to mark this anniversary with moments that are both unifying and meaningful: a comedy show, a culinary event at La Table des Justes, and above all, a fundraising campaign.

Our goal is clear: raise funds to support innovative projects that aren't funded by public authorities. The ideas exist, the needs are there. What we still need, as always, are the means to act.