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We thank Mr Mark Chua Hsien-Min for his letter, “ ” (Dec 16), and his suggestions to provide additional support beyond the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (Eipic). This programme caters to children up to six years old needing medium to high levels of early intervention support. As Mr Chua noted, Eipic is means-tested to ensure affordability, especially for lower-income parents. The duration of intervention is customised to the child’s needs and ranges from five hours to up to 12 hours a week, based on early intervention professionals’ assessment. Eipic also provides therapy and psychological services, should the child require specialist support. Based on this duration of intervention, a National Institute of Education study in 2018 found that Eipic narrowed the developmental gap between enrolled children and typically developing children. Some parents may opt for elective services like private therapy for their child to receive further intervention beyond Eipic. In such cases, parents may use funds from the Child Development Account to offset expenses if the service is registered under the Early Intervention Programme Registry. Public hospitals also provide subsidised therapy services such as speech/occupational therapy for children referred by their paediatricians. In addition, children with special educational needs will continue to receive support in mainstream schools or special education schools. In mainstream schools, teachers, together with special educational needs officers and teachers trained in special needs, implement school-based interventions in consultation with allied health professionals such as psychologists. In special education schools, children are supported by specially trained teachers, as well as social workers and other allied health professionals, including therapists. Considering that parents and caregivers play a critical role in their child’s development, early intervention programmes teach parents to incorporate intervention strategies into their child’s daily routine. This approach lets the child receive holistic and sustainable early intervention support. The Government will continue to review the affordability and quality of early intervention services to support children with developmental needs. Director, Early Intervention Early Childhood Development Agency