Early Intervention Vital for Children with Disabilities, Experts Say | KiddyNews

Limited Specialised Childcare Leaves Families Facing Long Journeys and Difficult Choices

Early intervention can give children with disabilities more time and support to develop communication, social and everyday skills before they enter school, but limited access to specialised childcare is forcing some Malaysian families to travel long distances, relocate or make changes to their careers.

For Mohd Amin Azuwar, finding support became one of the biggest challenges after his daughter was diagnosed with Down syndrome. He eventually left his job as a data analyst to care for her before moving into AI development for greater flexibility.

Today, he and his wife are also raising a six-month-old son with Down syndrome.

Few Specialised Centres Available

As of July, around 17,000 children with disabilities below six were registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM), including about 13,500 classified under learning disabilities.

However, there are only 11 JKM-registered specialised childcare centres for children with disabilities nationwide. These include three centres for children with Down syndrome and six serving children with ADHD or autism.

Amin’s daughter attends Taska Anak Istimewa Sindrom Down in Putrajaya, where he now serves as chairman. He said one family had moved from Penang to Putrajaya so their child could access the centre.

He believes families should not have to make such sacrifices when suitable services could be made available closer to home.

Calls to Extend Support Beyond Age Four

Children currently have access to Taska OKU only until age four. Amin believes this limit should be reconsidered, as some children with disabilities may still be developing basic skills at that age.

The additional years between four and six could help children strengthen abilities such as following instructions, communicating, participating in groups, toilet training, eating independently and putting on their shoes.

Taska Ikhlas (OKU) Melaka founder Norashikin Ismail also supports extending the age limit to six, noting that children may continue to need structured support with communication, social interaction, behaviour and self-management.

Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris lecturer Hasrul Hosshan said extending access could give children more time to develop language, communication, social and self-help skills before entering school.

Support Also Matters for Working Parents

Accessible childcare can also make a significant difference to parents, allowing them to remain in employment or return to work while knowing their children are receiving appropriate care.

However, specialised centres face their own challenges, including higher staffing requirements, specialised training and the cost of therapy equipment and accessible facilities.

For families, the priority remains straightforward: having consistent, suitable support available when their children need it.

A Clearer Path After Diagnosis

Families can also struggle to understand what support is available after receiving a diagnosis.

Norashikin suggested that hospitals and health clinics could play a stronger role by connecting parents with information about registered childcare centres, early intervention programmes, financial assistance and other services.

For Amin, clearer guidance from the beginning could spare families from having to navigate the system alone.

His experience has given him greater confidence in supporting his younger son, but that knowledge came through years of searching, learning and adapting.

For families beginning the same journey, better access to early intervention and specialised childcare could make support less dependent on distance, personal sacrifice or chance and more readily available when a child needs it most.

Source:

Free Malaysia Today – “Why early intervention matters for children with disabilities”

Thoughtfully adapted by KiddyNews. Keeping parents and educators informed with the latest ECCE developments from Malaysia and beyond.