EV lacks intervention facility, specialists for children with special needs

TACLOBAN CITY – The lack of intervention facility for children with special needs is one of the problems that parents are experiencing.

Aside from lack of intervention facility, the region also lacks specialist for children with special needs like occupational therapist and speech pathologist.

At present, one occupational therapist and two speech pathologists are currently residing and practicing in the region.

These two, according to Autism Society Philippines–Leyte Chapter, are the major problems why people from their sector are deprived of the services that should be acquired especially that their condition needs special attention.

Although at present the Autism Society Philippines has already an office in the region, the organization said they have no capability to provide services as they are an organization composed of parents of children with special needs.

However, the organization is implementing programs like the free evaluation and assessment to be conducted this November 20 and 21 at the Kanhuraw Convention Center with help from organization of medical practitioners and local government units.

This effort of Autism Society Philippines–Leyte Chapter is lauded by Bayan Muna party-list Representative Neri Colmenares, when he heard the effort of the organization when he visited the city last week.

The party-list representative said that the government should be doing something like implementing programs that will educate people of what autism really is.

“Some people are treating them as ‘sira-ulo’ but they are not. I know this because I have a friend who’s suffering from same problem because they have three children that are all suffering from autistism,” Colmenares said.