Special needs youth outgrow hospital

Model scheme finds it cannot meet the needs of patients as they become adults, writes Paritta Wangkiat in Ranong

This border province has become famous for its healthcare programme for special needs children, providing early detection and medical treatment for kids with development issues such as Down’s syndrome, autism and mental retardation.

Ranong Hospital has run its healthcare programme for special needs children since 2007.

It aims to empower communities and create local networks to help diagnose children with mental handicaps at an early age so they can start to receive medical and physical therapy.

Local health units detect children with mental development problems and educate parents to deal with their conditions.

At the moment, more than 150 children — the oldest are about 12 — take part in the programme.

The Ranong health programme for special needs children has long been a model for other provinces.

But the programme is now facing a new challenge as many of young participants are growing up and their families were worrying about how they will live as adults.

Ranong hospital has often set up mobile clinics in remote villages to seek out children with mental handicaps.

It also encourages each community hospital to set up a parents’ club to strengthen the community’s capacity to take care of special needs children.

‘‘I could not predict the future for my child,’’ said Anisala Nikulwong, 49, a mother of an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with autism.

Ms Anisala hoped the programme would help her son take care of himself when she is no longer capable of looking after him.

Her hope is shared by other mothers of special needs children interviewed by the Bangkok Post.

‘‘We are focusing on early detection of children with mental problems,’’ Piyanut Issariyavanit, a Ranong hospital nurse who works for the programme said.

She admitted authorities were yet to thoroughly discuss future plans for these children.

‘‘At this stage, we believe the sooner we discover these children, the better it is for their health and future,’’ she said.

National Health Security Office (NHSO) secretary-general Winai Sawasdivorn said his agency will discuss future healthcare services for the special needs children once they become adults. He said the current programme focuses only on therapy for children.

‘‘The follow-up programme for those children who will soon become adults is yet to come into the spotlight,’’ Dr Winai said.

‘‘We should discuss it soon to ensure these kids will be fine when they grow up,’’ he said.

About 11% of children in Ranong have been found to have problems with learning or mental development.

But Ms Piyanut believes the percentage is probably higher.

Many children with mental problems remain under the radar partly because parents could not accept the fact that their children have these issues, she said.

Few parents in Ranong have registered their children with the National Office for Empowerment of Persons with Disability (NEP).

Registering will confer 500-baht monthly financial support for each child and a maximum of 60,000-baht annual tax deduction and loan access to parents.

Since 2009, the NHSO has funded 42 hospitals nationwide to run programmes for special needs children similar to the Ranong initiative. However, a shortage of child and adolescent psychologists is a limitation for the programme.

There are only about 100 specialists available nationwide, while the NHSO’s records show more than 15,200 patients with mental development problems visited stated-owned hospitals for therapy last year.

The NHSO estimates that only 5.66% of children with mental retardation and 1.64% of autistic children gain access to public health services.