Fadhlina urges parents to screen children early for autism, ADHD and learning difficulties

The Ministry of Education (MOE) in Malaysia is urging parents to participate in screening programs designed to detect learning difficulties such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD at an early stage.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek emphasized the importance of early detection for providing appropriate intervention and support, offering services like speech therapy and psychological assessments free of charge.

The initiative also aims to enhance literacy and numeracy proficiency across various levels, with special attention to Orang Asli children, ensuring they receive prioritized educational support.

The minister highlighted the crucial role of parental involvement in these efforts.

GUA MUSANG, Sept 15 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) is encouraging parents to bring their children for screening programmes aimed at detecting learning difficulties, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), at an early stage.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek said the screening programmes are crucial to ensuring children with learning difficulties receive appropriate intervention and support.

“Today, we are here to observe the intervention preparations put in place by the MOE to enable early detection of children with learning difficulties.

“Conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and others can be identified through these screening programmes. Therefore, these programmes are vital,” she told a press conference after attending the 2026 Parliamentary Follow-up Programme (Series 3) at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Gua Musang here today.

She said parents who noticed developmental delays or suspected undiagnosed learning difficulties in their children are encouraged to seek assessments from specialists provided by the ministry.

“We invite them to come to the Ministry of Education Malaysia, where we can conduct these assessments with the specialists available,” she said.

Fadhlina said the services include speech therapy and psychological assessments to evaluate children’s overall development.

“There is speech therapy, and psychologists will assess the children’s overall development and provide guidance and recommendations to parents on how to support their children’s learning process,” she said.

She stressed the importance of parental involvement, noting that the government provides the screening services free of charge.

“It is important for parents to take an active role, as the government provides these services for free.

“We therefore invite all parents to participate in these screenings so that our children can continue to receive the support they need,” she said.

Meanwhile, Fadhlina said the ministry is prioritising literacy and numeracy proficiency among students, with efforts being strengthened at various levels through interventions and support from teachers and parents.

“We do not use the term ‘illiteracy’. Instead, we focus on strengthening literacy and numeracy proficiency at various levels,” she said.

She said the approach also covered Orang Asli children to ensure they did not fall behind and continued to receive priority and attention in education. — Bernama

Anwar receives 21-gun salute as Maldives rolls out red carpet for Malaysian PM

Two detained after KPDN foils 2,400-litre diesel misappropriation attempt in Senai

Police nab two ex-convicts in Johor over 11 cases involving housebreaking, robbery and theft

马来西亚教育部敦促家长参与筛查项目，以便及早发现自闭症谱系障碍和注意力缺陷多动障碍等学习困难。

教育部长拿督斯里法德琳娜·西迪克强调了早期发现的重要性，以便提供适当的干预和支持，并免费提供言语治疗和心理评估等服务。

该计划还旨在提高各个层次的读写和计算能力，尤其关注原住民儿童，确保他们获得优先教育支持。

部长强调了家长参与在这些工作中的关键作用。

瓜拉姆桑，9月15日讯——教育部鼓励家长带孩子参加筛查项目，旨在及早发现学习困难，包括自闭症谱系障碍和注意力缺陷/多动障碍（ADHD）。

教育部长拿督斯里法德琳娜·西迪克表示，筛查计划对于确保有学习困难的儿童获得适当的干预和支持至关重要。

“今天，我们来到这里，是为了考察教育部为及早发现有学习困难的儿童而制定的干预措施准备工作。

“自闭症谱系障碍、多动症等疾病可以通过这些筛查项目进行识别。因此，这些项目至关重要，”她今天在瓜拉姆桑国民小学出席2026年国会后续计划（第三期）后举行的新闻发布会上表示。

她表示，鼓励家长如果发现孩子发育迟缓或怀疑有未确诊的学习困难，应向教育部提供的专家寻求评估。

“我们邀请他们来到马来西亚教育部，在那里我们可以与相关专家一起进行这些评估，”她说。

法德利纳表示，这些服务包括言语治疗和心理评估，以评估儿童的整体发展情况。

她说：“这里有语言治疗，心理学家会评估孩子的整体发展情况，并向家长提供指导和建议，帮助他们支持孩子的学习过程。”

她强调了家长参与的重要性，并指出政府免费提供筛查服务。

“由于政府免费提供这些服务，家长积极参与非常重要。”

“因此，我们邀请所有家长参加这些筛查，以便我们的孩子能够继续获得他们需要的支持，”她说。

与此同时，法德利纳表示，教育部正在优先提高学生的读写和计算能力，并通过教师和家长的干预和支持，在各个层面加强努力。

“我们不使用‘文盲’这个词。相反，我们注重在各个层面加强读写和计算能力，”她说。

她表示，这项措施也涵盖了原住民儿童，以确保他们不会落后，并继续在教育方面获得优先考虑和关注。——马新社

马尔代夫为马来西亚总理安华举行盛大欢迎仪式，鸣放21响礼炮致敬。

在士乃，印尼石油天然气管理局（KPDN）挫败了一起2400升柴油的盗窃未遂案，两人被拘留。

柔佛警方抓获两名前科犯，他们涉嫌11起入室盗窃、抢劫和偷窃案件。