Health & Development Checkups for Under-fives.
Early intervention allows much better outcomes on average for children with health or development concerns. Your paediatrician, GP and Child and Family Health Service (CAFHS) work together to ensure that any problems are identified early or at the right time for intervention.
Health and Developmental Checks for children from birth to 5 years:
1 to 4 weeks: normally with your GP or CAFHS
6 to 8 weeks should be with your Paediatrician or GP
6 to 9 months with CAFHS
18 to 24 months -CAFHS offers a routine checkup if your child is less than 24 months but your GP can also do this.
3 years with GP
4 years normally with CAFHS at preschool, including hearing and vision screening and growth.
Your GP or CAFHS nurse may recommend a review with your paediatrician if any issues arise with any of these check-ups.
CAFHS:
Contact details for CAFHS are available here.
The nurses at this service (Child and Family Health Service) see infants and children for
any specific concerns at any time, can assess your child, and if needed, advise further review with your GP and/or paediatrician (your GP’s referral may be needed) or the Community Allied Health Service.
issues such as feeding, sleep, development, growth, vision and hearing.
BLUE BOOK
The Blue Book is your child’s health journal for growth and development. It is your first stop for information about health questions and developmental checks. Your paediatrician, GP and CAFHS service review progress with the aid of all the information entered there. Please bring it to all appointments with your GP, CAFHS and paediatrician until your child is 7 years of age.
MOMENTS TO MILESTONES
Megan (Meg) Bater , Neonatal and Paediatric Nurse Consultant and Director of Moments to Milestones |ABN 51 418 458 387 offers:
Standardised Bayley-4 Developmental Assessments for Infants & toddlers.
These assessments are valuable tools for monitoring and detailing your child’s development and any need for therapy and early intervention.
A Bayley 4 assessment and report may be of assistance for parents in referring their child for early intervention therapy through KUDOS (NDIS).
Contact Meg to book an assessment in her consulting room at Prosper Paediatrics, 20 Mann Terrace, North Adelaide.
Family education in infant neurodevelopment & communication, in a Newborn Observation Session.
These sessions aim to build parental confidence in their capacities to understand and attune to their baby’s needs and communication.
Meg sees newborns and infants with their parents in home visits.
MAMA FIRST
Mama First, https://mamafirstaustralia.com/ provides Lactation Consulting and general midwifery care in home visits
for help with breastfeeding, general feeding, settling, care of babies, baby massage, weaning etc.;
providing evidence-based care;
to work with and support new mothers as they grow in confidence,
as part of the mother’s care team with their family GP and paediatrician.
Mums & Bubs Groups- conducted by Mama First are a great way to gain confidence and share the joys and challenges of caring for new babies with other mums in a supportive and social group.
Christine Belletti and her team are sensitive, gentle and very supportive of women to grow as new mothers.
Your Family GP.
Your GP remains your primary care provider, is informed about your specialist's management, and may be able to provide needed assistance more quickly.
Care options when your concerns are pressing or urgent or arise outside business-hours:
YOUR GP
Your GP is often able to see you quickly and can advise your paediatrician of any concerns needing their specialist attention. Your GP can also assess if the concern is urgent, needs emergency care or can be reviewed by your paediatrician.
Our paediatricians try to see more urgent or pressing GP referrals as soon as possible and try to keep some appointment spots reserved for urgent needs. In particular, they will try to fit babies in as quickly as possible when specialist review is needed.
CAVUCS
CAVUCS is The Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service for children from 6 months of age up to 18 years with non-life-threatening conditions. Phone -(08) 8161 7000 to organise a Video Appointment between 9 am-9 pm, 7 days a week, including public holidays.
Paediatric Emergency Department
Your nearest PED is your best service for urgent or overnight concerns regarding your baby or child.
Your nearest Paediatric Emergency Department will be at the Women's and Children's, Flinders, or Lyell McEwin Hospitals in the Adelaide Metropolitan Area.
Your child should be seen in their nearest PED if parents believe or are advised that urgent medical attention is needed. Parents should call an ambulance if their child seems to be seriously unwell and deteriorating. The ED will report back to your GP and Paediatric Specialist.
Ambulance, dial 000
Always call the ambulance if your child’s health is deteriorating and they are very unwell.
Assessing urgency
The Emergency Department is able to assess your child, conduct tests and quickly start therapies. It is the best place to be if you are unsure about whether your child is very unwell or if their need is urgent. Even if everything turns out ok and your child is not as unwell as you feared, you will have been in the right place in case it was otherwise.
The following lists some of the symptoms or indications of a need for urgent or emergency assessment:
loss of consciousness, confusion, persistent drowsiness;
unexplained fever, especially a high fever or one that does not go away quickly;
significant lethargy or floppiness;
dehydration symptoms- including saggy skin, lethargy, no urine output, nappies being dry when you expected they would have been wet, no tears when crying, sunken abdomen;
significant pain symptoms;
loss of ability to walk;
stiff neck;
a rapidly developing new rash, or non-blanching rash;
respiratory difficulties- watch this video to learn about the signs of respiratory distress needing emergency care:
Respiratory Distress signs in babies:-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX3CZnrLxbQ
signs of respiratory distress include pallid or blue lips and skin around the mouth or on fingertips, work of breathing (noticeable extra sucking in of chest) or unusual new breathing noise.
any other serious and urgent concern you may have.
rapid deterioration in your child's condition;
Alternative referral or management options to discuss with your GP:
Older adolescents:
Given current wait times, adolescents approaching 16 years of age may benefit from referral to adult services. In many cases, they may be 16 or even a young adult by the time they get in with the non-paediatric specialist.
Behavioural, parenting or mental health concerns-consider:
Play Therapy for children aged 3 to 11;
A Mental Health Care Referral to a Psychologist or accredited Occupational Therapist;
Various online programs* that may be of benefit include Triple P Parenting, The Brave Program, Families Growing Together Team, Emerging Minds, Family Relationships Online, Relationships Australia, and This Way Up. (links provided below)
For serious psychiatric concerns or more complex psychiatric medication concerns:
Referral to a Child Psychiatrist for an item 291 assessment/review
Referral to CAMHs for severe concerns or concerns regarding medications.
For sub-specialty areas of concern:
A referral to a subspecialist instead of or concurrently with a referral to a general paediatrician may be appropriate. Subspecialists may have shorter wait times than paediatricians, and their assessment and management may resolve the concern or assist the paediatrician when they see the child. For example, a child with a knee or gait problem may benefit from seeking an appointment with a paediatric orthopaedic specialist instead of, or concurrently with, a referral to the paediatrician; a 14-year-old girl with painful periods may benefit from seeing a Gynaecologist who works with adolescents.
Parent resources and help for SA families:
We recommend visiting the Parenting and Child Health website for more detailed information on a number of topics related to all aspects of child health and development. This site is run by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, a joint venture between Child and Youth Health and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Please note that the resources on this site are not intended as a substitute for professional health care.
Parent Helpline SA: a parent helpline is available at 1300 364 100. To see when and how they can assist please visit their website.
Child and Family Health Services (CaFHS) provides free developmental health checks for children at various key stages between birth and 6 years. We recommend seeing one of our paediatricians for your child’s 6 week and 18 – 24 months check but the CaFHS sites may be more convenient to parents for other developmental checks. More information on these checks and further recommendations from CaFHS can be found at their website.
You can also easily find the location of your nearest CaFHS site.
Health Topics for Children from A – Z: Please consult the below link for advice on a wide range of topics in child health.
Breastfeeding Support: This page provides breastfeeding advice as well as information on contacting the Australian Breastfeeding Association for one on one communications.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association’s site is an invaluable resource for new mothers, not only for information but also in making community ties with other young mothers.
Hearing Assessment Services in SA: Services are available for children from 0 – 18 years.
Women’s & Children’s Child and Youth Health Network: cyh.com
Parenting Easy Guides available at www.parenting.sa.gov.au
Information sheets on a range of parenting issues for children of all ages, such as bedwetting, discipline, peer pressure, blended families, feeding toddlers etc.Coughs in children:
Other Great Resources for Parents of Infants:
Tresillian- Australia’s largest not-for-profit Early Parenting Service offering professional advice, education and guidance to families with a baby, toddler or pre-schooler. Tresillian has helped generations of parents for over 100 years and is based in NSW, Victoria and the ACT. They also have great online information. Go to the Advice and Tips section of the website for reassurance and support with settling baby & sleep difficulties; feeding, solids; managing several babies; understanding your baby’s and toddler’s cues and behaviours; parental emotional & psychological well-being.
( https://www.tresillian.org.au/advice-tips/)
Baby’s Poo Guide- whats normal for newborns and older babies
Respiratory Distress signs in babies:-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX3CZnrLxbQ
Baby’s behaviour -understand their cues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiV_uXOg6Bg-
Swaddling-dos and dont’s and rch.cocoon/project
Other Guides for the newborn period, Parenting, Childhood (you can follow further links to various topics).
Healthy Hips Australia -For advice on promoting good hip alignment and development, swaddling and carrying techniques and what to avoid. Go to -https://www.healthyhipsaustralia.org.au/services/parent-tips-hints/
Emma Hubbard’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/EmmaHubbard. Emma is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and a mum. She offers evidence-based information about child development, common parenting myths to avoid, and tips and tricks to make your life as parents easier.
More on Oral Ties and impact of cutting or lasering - Dr Pamela Douglas
https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/- fact sheets on various health and development concerns, often used by the paediatricians practising at Prosper Paediatrics. Topics include fever, rashes, constipation, helping toddlers with difficult behaviours, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, etc.
For Parenting, behavioural concerns, mental health:
Triple P Parenting Courses are now free online -for simple and practical strategies to help parents build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour and prevent problems from developing. -click here to register and here for more information.
The Brave Program offers 3 online programs for children from 3 to 17 years of age for anxiety and depression. This is an initiative of the University of Queensland, Griffith University and the University of Southern Queensland, and has been specifically designed to teach young people the skills they need to reduce anxiety and to cope with stressful situations.
These online programs were developed from a program running in Australia for over 13 years. It is based on Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Participants can develop skills in relaxation, identifying emotions and thoughts, positive self-talk, coping skills and problem-solving.
Families Growing Together Team- a service provided by the Department of Human Services that provides workshops around SA on parenting concerns such as connecting, building relationships, handling conflict, positive discipline, cyber safety, disability etc.
Emerging Minds Resources include fact sheets on parenting and mental health for babies, children and adolescents.
Family Relationships Online- a Federal Government service helping parents navigate relationship difficulties to stay together. This service also offers advice and resources to help parents keep family relationships healthy and support children through separation, divorce and beyond.
Relationships Australia-focus on strengthening positive relationships in families and communities including among parents (together or separated and children.
This Way Up provides evidence-based, internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) programs. As a not-for-profit and joint initiative of St Vincent’s Hospital and the University of New South Wales, their mission is to reduce the burden of mental illness by providing accessible online treatment for anxiety disorders and related mental health conditions. Programs are for adults and perhaps older adolescents.
