PAN/Açores Advocates for Autism and Hyperactivity Study

The PAN/Açores party is calling for a comprehensive study on autism and hyperactivity with attention deficit in the Azores region. According to a press release, the study aims to address the lack of regional data and deepen understanding of a reality affecting a growing number of children and young people. The party believes that effective public policy definition requires a solid foundation of scientific information.

The proposed study would cover the entire regional territory and involve the health, education, and social solidarity sectors. This would enable an integrated analysis of existing responses. The party suggests evaluating the evolution of diagnoses, territorial distribution of cases, referral mechanisms, waiting times for assessment, and the capacity of health teams.

The study would also assess the availability of specialized professionals and the functioning of support structures in educational establishments. PAN/Açores advocates for a broad debate with the scientific community, medical and psychological associations, health and education professionals, early intervention entities, and family representative associations.

The party notes that available epidemiological data for the Azores is scarce, outdated, and inconclusive. They consider it essential to understand whether the increase in recorded cases corresponds to a genuine growth in prevalence or results from improved detection and diagnosis capabilities.

PAN/Açores believes it is crucial to evaluate whether geographical dispersion, distance to specialized services, or the lack of hospital structures on some islands may limit access to adequate assessment, diagnosis, and follow-up. The initiative also seeks to identify difficulties faced by families in accessing diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and available educational and social responses.

The party aims to collect examples of national and international best practices that can be adapted to the archipelago's reality. According to RecordTV Cabo Verde and Lusa, the study's results should serve as the basis for developing measures to improve the regional response, integrated into the Regional Health Service.

These measures include reinforcing specialized human resources, reducing waiting times for evaluation and diagnosis, improving accessibility to services on islands without hospitals, and strengthening articulation between the health, education, and social intervention sectors. The proposal was presented by PAN/Açores in the Legislative Assembly of the Azores.

Key points

• The study aims to address the lack of regional data on autism and hyperactivity.
• The proposed study would involve the health, education, and social solidarity sectors.
• The results will serve as the basis for developing measures to improve the regional response.