Ana Luís, a member of the Azores Socialist Party, expressed concern this Monday about the lack of access to “essential” speech therapy services for children in Faial.

“In Faial, more than 20 children are waiting for speech therapy services. Horta’s Integrated Basic School, despite catering for around 94 children in this area, is unable to meet all the intervention needs, and the children are placed on a waiting list,” said the PS Azores MP elected for the island of Faial.

Ana Luís stressed that it is “undeniable” that the first years of school play a “fundamental role” in children’s educational success, according to scientific studies in the field of education, and that is why early childhood intervention is becoming increasingly important.

Unfortunately, she continued, neither the health unit on the island of Faial nor Horta Hospital has been able to attend to these children due to long waiting lists. In addition, the alternative of turning to the private sector, through Vale Saúde, “has also not been a solution available to these families,” she explained.

Since 2006, the Azores have adopted a model of inclusive education and educational support, recognizing the importance of early and personalized intervention for children with specific needs. The introduction of specialists, such as psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, has shown an increase in the number of children with autism in various forms while raising community awareness of this reality.

In this sense, the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party of the Azores, in a request delivered to the Regional Legislative Assembly, questioned the coalition’s Regional Government on how many speech therapists are currently providing services in Faial, specifically at the Horta Integrated Basic School, the Faial Island Health Unit and the Horta Hospital, how many users are on the waiting list for Speech Therapy services, and how many of these children, in these entities. In addition, the Socialist Assemblymembers want to know how many tenders have been opened to hire these technicians, what type of contract is in force, and, if it is impossible to provide care for users using their own technicians, how many health vouchers have been issued to cater for these users.

“The PS/Azores Parliamentary Group is committed to ensuring that children and their families have adequate access to speech therapy services, thus guaranteeing their full development and well-being,” she concluded.

In Tribuna das Ilhas newspaper from Faial Island.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.