TWEENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JIJL-7 A10:42
SENATE
S. No.
184
Introduced by SENATOR CAMILLE VILLAR
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR COMPREHENSIVE, ACCESSIBLE, AND AFFORDABLE EARLY 
DETECTION AND TIMELY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH 
SPECIAL NEEDS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In an ideal world, all States would be considered an inclusive society, where no 
child is left behind - even those with special needs. Good programs for children with 
special needs and / or disabilities are not simply acts of welfare; they are a matter of 
justice, equity, and human dignity. All children deserve systems that acknowledge 
their needs, affirm their worth, and empower their full participation in society.
The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall 
promote their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall 
Inculcate and indoctrinate in the youth nationalism, and encourage their involvement 
in public and civic affairs.1
Furthennore, the State shall defend the right of children to assistance, including 
proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, 
cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions which may be prejudicial to their 
development.2 This obligation becomes even more critical when considering the 
situation of children with disabilities, who often face compounded vulnerabilities.
According to a 2022 study by UNICEF, there are approximately 1.6 million 
Filipino children with disabilities.3 Following this, Merriam-Webster defines "special
1 Section 13, Article II, Declaration of Principles and State Policies, of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
2 Section 3 (2), Article XV, The Family, of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
3 Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, House of Representatives, March 2023 (No. 17), citing 
Cost of Raising Children with Disabilities in the Philippines, UNICEF 2022


needs" as " various difficulties (such as a physical, emotional, behavioral, or learning 
disability or impairment) that cause an individual to require additional or specialized 
services or accommodations (such as in education or recreation)."
In the Philippines, consider the foltowing;
• 
PhilHealth estimates that one out of seven or around 5.1 million Filipino 
children are living with disabilities. Yet there is little information on the 
prevalence of disabilities among Filipino children.
• 
Children with disabilities continue to experience barriers to access basic 
social services. This is compounded by poverty, lack of data, weak 
governance and discriminatory attitudes related to disability In general.
• 
Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school, access medical 
services, or have their voices heard in society. Their disabilities also place 
them at a higher risk of physical abuse and discrimination, and often 
exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance 
in emergencies.
Through this legislation, a framework is envisioned where society must actively 
adapt its systems to ensure that all children, regardless of age, gender, or disability, 
can enjoy the full spectrum of rights. One's disability should not be considered in 
isolation, and having a special need must not become a badge for discrimination.
This measure seeks to institutionalize a comprehensive and coordinated 
national health policy for children with special needs. It will define the necessary 
directions, strategies, and interventions to be undertaken by and among concerned 
government agencies in an integrated, responsive, seamless, and timely manner.
Ultimately, every Filipino must be receptive to and supportive of children with 
special needs. Inclusion is not an act of charity, but a commitment to justice.
In view thereof, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
CAMILLE VILLAR


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL-7 m10:42
SENATE
S. No.
184
K2‘
Introduced by SENATOR CAMILLE VILLAR
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR COMPREHENSIVE, ACCESSIBLE, AND AFFORDABLE EARLY 
DETECTION AND TIMELY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH 
SPECIAL NEEDS
1
2
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
ARTICLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
3 
Section 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the "Early Detection and
4 
Intervention Services for Children with Special Needs Act".
5 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to adopt an integrated
6 
and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make
7 
essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at
8 
affordable cost.
9 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. -
10 
A. Special Needs shall mean a variety of conditions, difficulties and
11 
impairments including but not limited to chronic and terminal illnesses, physical
12 
Impairments, and behavioral, cognitive or psychiatric issues and learning disability
13 
that causes an individual to require additional or specialized services or
14 
accommodations such as education or recreation. A special needs child may have
15 
a life-threatening condition or they may have severe learning disabilities.
16
17 
B. Children with special needs (CSNs) refer to those persons betow
18 
eighteen (18) years of age who are mentally gifted or are fast learners; and those
19 
who are disabled, impaired and handicapped and in need of special education as
20 
well as services for rehabilitation. They differ from the average children in mental


1 
characteristics, sensory abilities, neuromuscular or physical characteristics, social
2 
attributes, to such an extent that requires the use of modified school practices or
3 
special education services to develop them to maximum capability.
4 
They may be classified as follows:
5 
1. Gifted children and fast turners are those capable of superior
6 
performance including those with demonstrated achievement or potential
7 
ability in one or more of the following areas: general intellectual ability,
8 
specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking ability,
9 
leadership ability, ability in the performing arts and psychomotor ability, or
10 
those individuals who consistently manifest the following cluster of traits.
11 
above average ability (including intelligence), high creativity (implies the
12 
developmental appreciation of innovative ideas) and high task commitment
13 
(related to a high degree of motivation) and those who by reason thereof,
14 
require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school;
15 
2. Children with mental retardation intellectual disability are those who
16 
have substantial limitation in present functioning characterized by
17 
significant sub-average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with
18 
the related limitations in two or more of the applicable adaptive skill areas;
19 
communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-
20 
direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work;
21
22 
3. Children with visual Impairment are those who are blind or having a
23 
low vision. Persons are blind if they have a visual capacity of 20/200 or
24 
less in a better eye after maximum correction. The low vision persons retain a
25 
relatively low degree of vision and can read only enlarged print or regular
26 
print under special conditions;
27 
4. Children with hearing impairment are. those who are deaf or hard-of-
28 
hearing. The deaf persons are one whose hearing are non-functional for
29 
ordinary purpose in life. The hard-of-hearing have a defective sense of
30 
hearing that is functional without a hearing aid;
31
32 
5. Children with behavior problems are those who cannot adjust to the
33 
socially accepted norms or behavior and, consequently disrupt their
34 
academic progress, in the learning efforts of their classmates and
35 
interpersonal relations;
36 
6. Children with orthopedic/physicai handicap are those whose
37 
impairment permanently or temporarily interferes with the normal
38 
functions of the joints, muscles or limbs;


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
7. 
Children with special health problems are those who have health 
conditions that tend to keep children out-of-school or those with chronic ara/or 
debilitating illnesses such as cardiac (heart) diseases, asthma, diaoCTes, 
tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments, carcinoma, epilepsy, malnutnnon 
and others;
8. 
Children witii learning disabilities those who, although normal in 
sensory, emotional and Intellectual abilities, exhibit disorders In perception, 
listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling or arithmetic. They have such 
condition as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, 
dyslexia and developmental aphasia;
9. 
Children with speech defectsar^ those whose speech differs from the 
average so far as to draw unfavorable attention to the manner of speaking 
rather than to the thought conveyed, which include communication 
disorders such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, 
or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational 
perfonnance;
10. 
Children with autism are those with developmental disabilities, the 
onset of which occurs before thirty (30) months of age which is marked by 
disturbance in development, language and relationship with persons, 
activities and objects and which may coexist with intellectual disability and 
epilepsy. Children afflicted with this disorder have perceptual cognitive 
communication and social difficulties which change over time;
11. 
Children with multi-handicaps are. those with more than one disability 
such as the deaf-blind or those diagnosed with autism and intellectual 
disability;
12. Children witii Specific Learning Disability - A disorder in one or more 
of the basic physiological processes involved in understanding or in usii^ 
language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in the imperfect 
ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mattiemabcal 
calculations. Such term includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, 
brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental 
aphasia;
13. 
Children with Traumatic Brain Injury - An acquired injury to the brain 
caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional 
disability or psychosocial impairment or both, and that adversely affects a 
child's educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head 
injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition, 
language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, 
problem solving, sensory, perceptual and motor abilities, psychosocial 
behavior physical functions, information processing, and speech. The term 
does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative or to 
brain injuries induced by birth trauma.


1 
C. Intervention shall mean educational methods and positive behavioral
2 
support strategies designed to improve the condition of a child suffering from
3 
mental disorder.
4 
Sec. 4. Programs for Children with Special Needs. The Department of Education
5 
(DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) shall develop a program providing for
6 
comprehensive accessible and affordable early detection and timely intervention
7 
services for children with special needs. The objectives of this program include, but
8 
not limited to, the following;
9 
a. To increase awareness, reduce barriers to screening and diagnosis, promote
10 
evidence-based interventions for children with special needs or other
11 
developmental disabilities;
12 
b. To build a qualified and adequately trained workforce prepared to provide
13 
special needs services for children and their families;
14 
c. To conduct a comprehensive, multi-faceted public awareness campaign to
15 
educate families, the public, and other key audiences about the benefits of
15 
children's social and emotional development, and how to access services, and
17 
d. To create a quality-driven children's special needs system with shared
18 
accountability among agencies and programs that conducts ongoing needs
19 
assessments, uses outcome indicators and benchmarks to measure progress,
20 
and implements quality data tracking and reporting system.
21 
Sec. 5. Role of Local Government Units. All local government units shall
22 
endeavor to establish special needs center offering early intervention and transition
23 
programs and shall provide programs and services that will prepare special needs
24 
children on activities in mainstream society.
25 
Sec. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations The DepEd and DOH in
26 
coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government and in
27 
consultation with relevant private sector practitioners and representatives of the
28 
academic community shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry
29 
out the provisions of this Act.
30 
Sec. 7. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof is held Invalid or
31 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
32 
remain valid and subsisting.
33 
Sec. 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
34 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to,^or
35 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended
36 
accordingly.


1 
Sec. 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
2 
complete publication In at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation,
3 
whichever comes earlier.
4
Approved,