A seven-year-old boy who can't speak has been waiting for more than four years to be assessed by a government unit so that he can acquire a device that would allow him to communicate to his parents and friends.

The unit, which is the only channel through which he can acquire the device, is understaffed, causing waiting lists that go back years and leaving many children waiting endlessly for their turn.

The government is finding it hard to beef up the staff because not many professionals are qualified or willing enough to fill the vacancies at the Access to Communication and Technology Unit.

How can we know if he wants to go to the playground, or visit his grandma, or play with his friends?- George Micallef's father Joseph

George Micallef was born with a rare condition which, among other things, poses learning difficulties. Due to his condition, George is non-verbal, meaning that, at seven years old, he cannot say a single word.

“Not even mum or dad,” his father, Joseph told Times of Malta at their home in Xagħra.

“Actually, he did say mum for a short while and then stopped forever.”

Luckily, technology has developed high-end devices that help non-verbal children communicate nonetheless, using pictures and sounds. The child inputs what they want to say into the device and it speaks for them.

The devices, which resemble regular touch screen tablets, are manufactured overseas and are specially tailored to each child’s needs.

After being assessed by their speech therapist, children in Malta are referred to the unit, which falls within Aġenzija Sapport, for an assessment.

Speech therapists and occupational therapists at the unit then assess the child and issue a report detailing their needs, recommending to the manufacturer how the device should be programmed to best help them communicate. The device is then manufactured according to the child’s needs.

George referred back in 2018

George’s therapist referred him to the unit in November 2018, when he was just three years old.

These devices cannot be bought online or off the shelf and are significantly expensive, which is why last year, president emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca offered families to start paying for their children’s devices through the Malta Trust Foundation.

But due to lack of staff, the unit has amassed a waiting list that goes back years, two or three in some cases and in others, like George, the children have been waiting for more than half their life, with no clear indication as to when they might be assessed.

Sources who spoke to Times of Malta said those children who have been waiting for four years will get their turn... “in a year or so”.

An expression of interest was issued for private practitioners to provide the service but lack of interest was shown as well- Aġenzija Sapport CEO Oliver Scicluna

And some speech therapists have even given up on referring new cases because they feel it is ridiculous to condemn children and their families to a five-year wait.

Furthermore, the unit’s assessment service is not offered anywhere else, not even in private clinical settings, forcing George and the other children to wait helplessly for the government unit to call them in.

In a reply to questions, Aġenzija Sapport CEO Oliver Scicluna said the service required highly specialised professionals to operate.

In the past six months, the agency issued three calls and some professionals finally applied for the last call. Interviews will be taking place in the beginning of January, he said.

“Simultaneously, an expression of interest was issued for private practitioners to provide the service but lack of interest was shown as well,” he said.

“In November, the agency also visited a medical profession fair in the UK to promote this career and to try and seek professionals interested to work specifically at the Access to Communication and Technology Unit in Malta.”

Agency trying to find solutions

He said this area of communication aids was very specialised and needed continuous training, which the agency was ready to provide once professionals interested to work with the unit were engaged.

“The agency understands the importance of the service and that is why it is striving to find different solutions.”

George’s father commended staff for being competent and professional but said that, due to lack of resources, his son was losing precious childhood years during which he could be using the device to help him develop learning and communication abilities.

Joseph and his family are trying to use other technologies as best as they can but they know the device would make his life much easier. They notice their son growing increasingly frustrated when they cannot understand his needs.

“Right now we are constantly guessing what our son might need or want,” Joseph told Times of Malta.

“It’s easy to understand when he’s hungry or tired, for example, but how can we know if he wants to go to the playground, or to visit his grandma, or play with his friends?”

Joseph said his son was frequently invited to his classmates’ birthday parties and enjoyed them a lot. But he would like to sing happy birthday like his friend and cannot.

“You can literally see him bursting with joy and trying to join in the singing but he can’t,” Joseph said. “It hurts never having heard him call me dad but these situations hurt even more.”

In May last year, the Malta Trust Foundation held a live telethon to raise funds to purchase the devices for children with communication difficulties.

“People began to call us telling us this was our chance to apply for one, to get one for our son,” Joseph recalled.

“It was but the foundation cannot purchase the device before it has the unit’s report. So, the foundation is also waiting for the assessments.”