Members of the government-appointed Northern District Community Service Consultative Council Chan Ian Ian and Leong Lou Ian raised their concerns about early childhood intervention yesterday before a regular closed-door meeting at the Government Service Centre in Areia Preta district, both urging the government to popularise the promotion of information related to early childhood intervention in civil society and to enhance the financial and psychological support for families with the need of such intervention for their children.

Early childhood intervention is an educational system for babies and young children who have developmental delays or disabilities and their families.

The Health Bureau (SSM), Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) and Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) jointly established a Children’s Comprehensive Evaluation Centre in 2016, targeting children aged six or below with suspected developmental disorders such as developmental disabilities or delays, mental disorders, sensory disorders or disabilities including hearing and visual impairments, physical disorders, myopathy and cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum disorder, language development disorders, developmental coordination disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioural disorders, among other developmental disorders.

In terms of reducing the misunderstanding of the community and families about early childhood intervention, Chan urged the government to strengthen cooperation with different associations to highlight the importance of paying attention to the development process of children aged under six and, therefore, enhancing mutual support among family members.

In order to address the deficiencies of early training and professional treatment for local children with developmental disabilities, Leong urged the government to step up the training of professional staff so as to increase the number of professional therapists in public institutions so that more children in need can receive the relevant treatment.

Leong said that in view of the fact that it would be a great help for parents to train their children, who have problems, at home, she also urged the government to provide relevant teaching materials according to the different stages of early treatment for children, enabling the parents to master the methods and skills of home training.

Meanwhile, Deputy Convener Chan U Iong quoted officials of the Health Bureau, Social Welfare Bureau and Education and Youth Development Bureau as pointing out during yesterday’s closed-door meeting that about 300 children in Macau currently need early childhood intervention, among whom 58 percent mainly suffer from a language deficiency.

Chan made the remarks during a press briefing after the meeting.

Chan said that, according to the DSEDJ official who attended yesterday’s meeting, the bureau has at its disposal specific measures for students who are in need of childhood intervention, at both public and private schools. Concerning the insufficient number of speech therapists in Macau, Chan quoted the official, whom he did not name, as saying that the number of speech therapists in Macau has increased from about 20 in 2017 to 60 so far this year, which was expected to reach more than 100 by 2025.

In order to meet the needs of local children for early childhood intervention, Chan quoted the IAS official as noting that the number of service places has increased by 200 between 2021 and this year, which was expected to increase to 450 by the end of this year. 

Government-appointed Northern District Community Service Consultative Council members Chan Ian Ian (right) and Ip Weng Hong (left), as well as Deputy Convener Chan U Iong pose during yesterday’s press briefing after a regular closed-door meeting by the council at the Government Service Centre in Areia Preta district. – Photo: Yuki Lei