The Early Intervention Unit (UAT) at Hospital del Sur, managed by the University Hospital Nuestra Señora de Candelaria and affiliated with the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, has assisted 614 children between zero and six years old in its first year of operation. This milestone brings specialized healthcare closer to the southern region of the island, facilitating family-work balance.
A multidisciplinary team composed of professionals from Clinical Psychology, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Educational Guidance, and Social Work works daily with the children. They develop an Individualized Early Intervention Plan (PIAT) that establishes personalized objectives for each minor, considering their family context and nearby social resources.
Currently, the unit maintains 85 minors in active intervention and conducts an average of ten psychological assessments daily for potential integration into the UAT. Professionals aim to enhance patients' motor, perceptual-cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional skills, ensuring their overall well-being through assessment, diagnosis, direct intervention, and ongoing support to educational centers.
The UAT is integrated into the public Early Intervention network of the Canary Islands, which comprises eleven facilities across the islands. In Tenerife, in addition to this unit at Hospital del Sur, there are two others affiliated with the University Hospital Complex Nuestra Señora de Candelaria: one at the Doctor Guigou Health Center and another at the University Hospital of the Canary Islands.
