On December 1st, a two-day international conference on the issues of early childhood development programs and the prevention of disabilities began in Tbilisi. One hundred people, including representatives of the Ministry of Education and Health, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and medical institutions of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries participated in the conference. The regional conference was organized by the Open Society Georgia Foundation, the Coalition for Early Childhood Intervention and M. Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital.
The prevention of disabilities is possible through intervention at an early stage of development – in the best case before the age of three (latest by age seven). Since the early childhood development program was launched in Georgia, demand from families has been increasing. The goal of the conference was to increase the number of vouchers provided to children in need, raise the qualification of service providers and improve the monitoring and control of existing services.
Based on the results of one of the surveys conducted in Georgia, 8.5% of children have developmental problems. With about 370,000 children under the age of seven in Georgia, approximately 30,000 children may have developmental problems. However, only 13,412 children between the ages of zero and nine years of age are registered by the National Statistics Office of Georgia as having developmental problems.
The Early Child Development Program was established in Georgia seven years ago with financial support from the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs. The number of Early Child Development Program funded vouchers has increased annually by 40% over the past three years. Nonetheless, the program still cannot meet the demand. Currently 1,041 children require services, though only 622 of them receive services.
A developmental delay does not mean only a developmental disability. A developmental delay may be expressed with communication disorders or speech problems, attention deficit and other behavioral problems. A developmental delay can be identified through various examinations, after which the child needs early intervention. The children who would benefit from early intervention are those who have been diagnosed with various neurological diseases or have any disorder that leads to a delay in development.
A team working with children and their families should be composed of early intervention specialists, psychologists, and occupational and physical therapists, as appropriate. It is more effective to address a child’s development delay before the age of three, and latest by age seven.
Early intervention does not involve children’s rehabilitation. The components of the intervention are adjusted to the needs of the family. The early development program also includes the establishment of methods of working and developing children in kindergartens.
The members of the Coalition for Early Childhood Intervention are:
A. Lachkepiani Association of Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery, Academy of Georgia for Children with Special Needs, NeuroDevelopment Center, Georgian Portage Association, Rehabilitation and Development Center in Batumi, Bridge for Social Inclusion in Kutaisi, First Step Georgia, Foundation Global Initiative on Psychiatry – Tbilisi, Physicians for Human Rights, Registered Union “Georgian Children”, Public Advocate Association in Telavi, Coalition for Social Reforms in Poti, and Institute of Neurology and Neuropsychology.
