Only a small number of children living with disabilities in Jamaica are receiving treatment for their condition, according to nurse Joyce Brown of the Early Stimulation Unit.

Brown made the disclosure yesterday during a special education early-childhood workshop held at the Terra Nova Hotel, St Andrew.

"Although we have identified children with disabilities, only a small portion are receiving treatment, especially in deep rural areas. Our children are not being served," Brown said.

She noted that while there was a unit in every parish, children in deep rural areas were not able to access care because of the distance from home to the centre and transportation costs.

In most cases, disability in children usually occurs by age five. It is estimated that five per cent of all children in Jamaica will have a disability by the time they reach their first birthday.

The important years

Of the estimated 200,000 students under the age of 18 who have some kind of disability, only about 2,500 are accounted for in the government or government-aided education programme.

Brown said the first two years of a child's life were very important, pointing out that at this age, their brains were susceptible to damage.

Claiming parents were not accessing some of the services at health centres, Brown urged educators to ensure that parents use the health centres as public health nurses can identify developmental problems and refer the children for services.

"Especially in the first years of life, children need to be monitored for developmental delays as the earlier we can pick up the problems, the better it is," said Brown.

The workshop, which was held over two days, was the first of its type of special-education workshops for early-childhood teachers and special-needs practitioners.