Preschool disability support a ‘black hole’

Thousands of disabled preschoolers are waiting months for a first appointment with a specialist education service.

The Early Intervention Service (EIS) – which provides pyschologists, speech-language therapists and other specialists for physically or learning disabled children under 5 – has the longest wait time of any Ministry of Education service.

Education Minister Nikki Kaye said more children were receiving EIS support than ever, but critics said funding had not kept pace with demand.

They considered long wait times and a ‘‘black hole’’ of interim support meant it was no longer an early intervention service.

In the year to May, 36 per cent of families seeking EIS support – 1204 children – waited longer than 90 days for an appointment. About 14,400 children received EIS support at a cost of $31 million last year.

The average wait time for an appointment was about 72 days. Wait times were shortest in Waikato, where the average was 62 days for an initial assessment, and longest in Wellington, which averaged a 130-day wait.

The longest wait time for a single child was 381 days. The ministry acknowledged that was an ‘‘unacceptably long wait time’’ but said it was ‘‘not reflective of the overall quality of the service’’.

Its target is to have children under the EIS scheme receiving specialist support within 75 days of referral. This would include the first appointment when the child’s needs are assessed.

Deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the ministry kept in contact with families to support them through the process.

‘‘We make every effort to minimise waiting times for appointments, and we prioritise children with the greatest need.’’

Wellington mum Nicola Parsons said getting a first appointment was only half the battle.

She was ‘‘shocked’’ when son Sam was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 2, and she did not know where to turn or who to call.

She found information about the EIS online and, after ‘‘so many answerphones and days and days of calling’’, the family were visited by a speech language therapist and early intervention teacher.

‘‘They were lovely, we got a letter . . . that was the last I heard of them. That was November 2013,’’ Parsons said.

She waited nearly 12 months to be referred to the Wellington Early Intervention Trust, one of six providers contracted by the ministry to deliver the EIS, alongside its own intervention teams.

During that time, the family spent about $20,000 on specialists for Sam and a nanny for their youngest child so they could get Sam to appointments.

‘‘It was just a big black hole of nothing. What is happening in a First World country when chil- dren are just sitting on waiting lists?’’ Parsons said.

The average per-child spend for the EIS was $2106 last year – the same as it was in 2008. Per-child spending hit a high of $2405 in 2011 but has since decreased.

Kaye said demand and overall funding for the scheme had grown in recent years. Ministry data shows an $8m increase in EIS funding since 2008, with 2575 more children receiving support.

Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty was concerned young children with complex needs were waiting months for ‘‘little bits of support’’.

‘‘To call this an early intervention system at this point is not accurate. It’s deeply frustrating because children only have one shot at an education.’’