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OPPOSITION Senator Janelle John-Bates has called for the screening of TT's infants for learning impediments at a younger age than proposed by the government. She made the appeal in her contribution to the Senate budget debate on October 27.

She said an infant may not achieve their expected developmental milestones due to the way their neurons or nerve cells in the brain are wired. This can cause an impediment in the child's motor skills, fine motor skills, speech and language, social and emotional skills, and cognition (ability to understand.)

"If these delays are not addressed early with targeted interventions, the severity of the developmental disability may be exacerbated, learning outcomes are poorer and children are less likely to achieve success in school and later in life," she said.