Four capital-area schools add speech therapists

Speech-language therapists will begin working in four primary schools in the capital area this week as part of a two-year pilot project, mbl.is reports.

The therapists are from the Hearing and Speech Centre of the Capital Area Health Care Service. The project, initiated by the Ministry of Health, is intended to address long waiting lists for speech-language services. One therapist will be based at each school.

The pilot will serve children with speech and language disorders who meet Iceland Health Insurance criteria. The announcement says they have significant difficulties with language development and pronunciation, and that many have been waiting a long time for support. More therapists are expected to be recruited, with plans to extend the project to additional schools.

Project lead Anna Ósk Sigurðardóttir estimates that 10 to 12 per cent of primary-school-age children need speech-language services. Health Minister Alma Möller said early support for children in this situation was important and expressed hope that the pilot would develop quickly and help improve services for children across the country.