The Regional Director for Health announced today that legislation is being prepared on the Early Intervention, which aims to detect and identifying all the children at risk of changes in bodily functions and structures or at serious risk of developmental delay.

In her speech delivered at the opening session of the training course on "Autism and Developmental Disorders," promoted by the Angra do Heroísmo healthcare centre, Sofia Duarte said that this measure will fill a gap in legal terms and adapt the Early Intervention system to the regional legislation in force, stipulating organisational and operational goals and rules.

The new legislation comprises children from the detection of limitations, disabilities or risk factors to the entry in preschool, which will be indentified, in order to prevent or reduce the risk of developmental delay.

This is a joint project of the Regional Directorates for Education and Training, Social Security and Solidarity and Health designed to support families in accessing services and resources of social security, health and education systems.

The Regional Director praised the Early Intervention Team from the Angra do Heroísmo Health Centre, the organiser of the training course taking place today, whose relevance will contribute to the sharing of professional experiences and reflection in order to reach effective responses in terms of multidisciplinary intervention.

The meeting will be attended by paediatric neurologist Nuno Lobo Antunes and is intended to address issues related to children's developmental disorders, including autism.

For the Regional Director of Health, this initiative will be an opportunity to get better to the challenges arising in this field.