Sydney Child Development Specialists

Get to know Sydney Child Development Specialists

From Sydney Child Development Specialists's website.

• Our approach

  The clinic offers a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach centred on personalised care for each child. Assessments can be provided as one-on-one consultations with a single clinician (paediatrician, psychologist, or speech pathologist) or as joint multidisciplinary assessments where a team of experienced professionals conduct a comprehensive evaluation, often in one or two appointments. Sessions include medical assessment to identify any physical causes, functional assessment to measure development, and diagnostic assessment to identify any underlying neurodevelopmental conditions. Regular ongoing care and management are offered to support families and help children achieve their fullest potential.

• Working with families

  Family communication and involvement are central to the clinic's approach. The clinic is built on the principle that effective collaboration between families, healthcare providers, educators, and therapists is essential for the best outcomes. Paediatricians regularly review your child's progress and may liaise with your child's therapists, school, and other service providers to make recommendations. Regular ongoing care and management are routinely offered to provide support for families, and multidisciplinary assessments result in a comprehensive treatment plan developed collaboratively. The clinic's mission explicitly focuses on personalised care from assessment through to ongoing therapy and review.

• Meet the team

  The team comprises highly trained and experienced developmental and general paediatricians, child psychologists, and speech pathologists. There are ten paediatricians on staff, including specialists in general paediatrics and developmental paediatrics with extensive experience; four psychologists (three clinical psychologists with 20-30+ years' experience and one registered psychologist); and two speech pathologists with over 20 years' experience each. The team works collaboratively, with paediatricians trained in child development and behavioural conditions, psychologists specialising in developmental and behavioural assessment, and speech pathologists focused on language and communication difficulties. Review appointments and case conferences ensure coordinated, multidisciplinary care.

• Your first visit

  At the first appointment, the clinic conducts an initial assessment and diagnosis. If you choose a multidisciplinary joint assessment, both a paediatrician and child psychologist work together to evaluate your child's developmental, behavioural, and cognitive profile, with standardised testing (such as cognitive testing, Griffiths Scale, or ADOS-2) often completed at this visit depending on clinical need. For individual assessments, you may see a single clinician. Multidisciplinary assessments typically span one to two appointments and provide a comprehensive treatment and management plan. The clinic notes that all initial assessments for complex conditions like ADHD and autism require two or more appointments to ensure thorough evaluation.