A diverse team of health professionalshas come together to offer a private, multidisciplinary service specialising in autism and ADHD in children for the first time in Malta.
The Team for the Assessment of Attention and Social Communication (TAASC), which will be officially launched next week, is made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, speech, behaviour and occupational therapists, educational psychologists and school counsellors.
The service will offer tailor-made assessments, based on current international standards, to answer questions parents may have about autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and develop an individualised care plan.
“There are already a number of professionals working very well in this field on their own, but what has been lacking so far is a multidisciplinary team all working together,” said Nigel Camilleri, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and the service lead.
There are a number of professionals working very well in this field on their own, but what has been lacking so far is a multidisciplinary team all working together
“Having such a team substantiates the diagnosis and reduces subjectivity and bias, essentially reducing the possibility of mistakes. It also allows us to go beyond the diagnosis: if a young person is suffering from anxiety, depression, or other disorders, we have the team of psychologists available to offer the necessary interventions.”
According to Dr Camilleri, the new team will follow a number of standardised assessment pathways, following guidelines set by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the UK, after an initial assessment.
The child will be assessed in the clinic as well as in his natural environment, such as at school, and the assessment substantiated by the parents’ own reports.
The different specialists will then each complete their part of the assessment at a multidisciplinary team meeting, referring to international diagnostic criteria to reach a conclusion.
The outcomes, as well as the team’s recommendations, will be discussed with parents during a feedback session, and also passed on to other stakeholders in the child’s development, such as their school or family doctor, who can continue to liaise with the team as necessary.
The team will also offer individualised care plans as well as parenting groups and social skills groups for the children themselves. There are currently no statistics available on exactly how many people in Malta are affected by ADHD, which is a neuro-behavioural disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Two years ago, official figures showed that there were 168 children receiving treatment during school hours while, worldwide, the condition is estimated to affect between three and five per cent of children.
Local NGOs have previously warned that there is a significant degree of under-diagnosis due to a lack of awareness among parents and professionals.
Meanwhile, there are thought to be some 70 children born with autism, which has a genetic overlap with ADHD, every year in Malta. TAASC will be holding a public information session about the new service on April 4 at the Diplomat Hotel in Sliema.
For more information, send an e-mail to taascmalta@gmail.com.