A Different Paradigm in Healthcare Sustainability:

Helping developmentally delayed children

As the concept of early intervention for young children with developmental delays has become increasingly widely adopted, demand for assessments has grown significantly. Tsai Hsing-chen, director of the Child Development Joint Assessment and Intervention Center (CDJAIC) at NTCH, says that in the past, parents seeking help for their children had to visit doctors in different departments on different floors, with long wait times and complex procedures, and often gave up halfway because they didn’t know the next step.

To remove these systemic hurdles, NTCH set up the CDJAIC, bringing together professionals from pediatrics, rehabilitation, language therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, and social work to create a collaborative assessment and intervention mechanism. Kids can complete multifaceted evaluations in a single hospital visit and the cross-disciplinary team can immediately discuss each case and put forward suggestions.

Tsai notes that the typical wait time for clinical evaluation and early intervention for developmentally challenged children has been reduced to one month from often around half a year in the past, and the number of cases that can be handled annually has risen from about 100 initially to some 1,000 today. Moreover, the program is family-centric, moving from “seeing children” to “supporting families.” Professional case workers coordinate treatment and resource referrals so that parents no longer feel they are struggling on their own.

Tsai recalls a boy with an autistic spectrum disorder who used to be trapped in his own world. After two years of therapy, he now smiles, makes friends, and shares school stories. “He has bravely stepped out of his little world,” she notes. His family’s renewed joy is the driving force that keeps the team moving forward.

Taiwan has a national target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. While that date may seem far off, we cannot reach that goal in a single leap, but only through the accumulation of small, practical actions. By ensuring that water is not wasted and that children are getting appropriate care, NTCH is showing us all a ray of hope for a sustainable future in the medical field.