2016-12-09
Audit: Children with Developmental Disorders Not Provided with Effective Early Assistance and the Disabled with Inclusive Education
In 2010, Lithuania ratified of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, thus committing to ensure that people with disabilities have access to health care services, including early diagnosis, as well as provide services aimed at reducing the likelihood of further disabilities in persons as much as possible. In addition, the State must ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to get a free, proper and quality primary and secondary education alongside others in the communities, where they reside. However, a public audit conducted by the supreme audit institution revealed that the early rehabilitation and inclusive education services provided in Lithuania neither sufficiently meet the needs of children with disabilities nor ensure their social integration.
In order to avoid disabilities or more severe developmental disorders in children, who already have developmental disorders, it is crucial to provide high-quality early rehabilitation services as early as possible. The evidence collected during the audit revealed that in Lithuania these services are far from being available to all children with developmental disorders. Almost half of municipalities do not have early rehabilitation institutions, and there is a shortage of specialists in the ones that do have them. In addition, services provided are often noncurrent as waiting lists often are as long as 150 days. This prevents from reducing the level of children's disability and the risk of its occurrence.
According to the auditors, conditions necessary for providing an objective diagnosis for a child with developmental disorders and prescribing an appropriate treatment have not been created, i.e. there are no nationwide techniques and methods of diagnosis and treatment of children with developmental disorders and there is a sufficient lack of reliable diagnostic tools and measures for children with developmental disorders. The issue of transferring the Child Development Centre from the building in critical condition to the premises adapted to the Centre's activities remains unresolved for more than eight years.
Not all children with disabilities and special educational needs have the opportunity to get a proper education in general education schools. The public audit revealed that over the past three years the number of children with disabilities attending specialized educational establishments (rather than general education schools) increased because general education schools lack educational assistance specialists, methodical assistance and special educational and academic measures.
The National Audit Office presented recommendations to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science. If the recommendations are acted upon timely and adequately, integration of children with disabilities and developmental disorders into social life will improve, and they will develop more independence. In these recommendations, the National Audit Office urges to find solutions for providing children with developmental disorders with timely high-quality early rehabilitation services and develop inclusive education for children with disabilities.