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What We Do

Development and Behavioural Paediatricians

A developmental-behavioural paediatrician has expertise in providing care for children and adolescents with developmental delays, behavioural problems and learning difficulties. They also manage the challenging aspects of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and social communication issues. They are able to assess and help with a range of complex presentations including:
  • Speech delay
  • Difficulty in social communication
  • Social interaction difficulty
  • Delay in fine motor skills
  • Gross motor delay
  • Delay in adaptive skills
  • Learning difficulty
  • Executive function difficulty
  • Coordination difficulty
  • Anxiety
  • Emotional regulation difficulty
  • Difficulty with attention
  • Hyperactivity
  • Impulsive behaviours
  • Oppositional behaviours
  • Cognitive rigidity
  • Tics and Tourettes
  • Depression
  • Nocturnal enuresis or bed wetting
  • Sleep difficulties
  • Constipation
  • Toileting difficulties
  • Self-restricted diet
  • Sensory difficulties

Your developmental paediatrician will speak to the child and the family. Your developmental paediatrician will work with family and daycare/school to gather information about the young person’s functioning at school, home and in the community.

In developmental paediatrics there are no set tests to provide a specific diagnosis. A child or young person’s functioning and differences are understood in the setting of environment (home, school, community), opportunities for development, genetic and psychosocial factors and biological factors. The developmental paediatrician lays a series of propositions or hypotheses to understand the functional predicament of the child. The developmental paediatrician works in partnership with parents, school and therapist to help the child function to their potential.

Telehealth/Case conferencing with schools and therapists to understand the child in the context of a biological hypothesis is also provided at CAYA DS. This enables us to set up support that helps the child function to their fullest potential. Therefore we are able to provide comprehensive longitudinal care and monitor growth in all domains.

Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Physician

Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (AYAM) is a branch of medicine focussed on the health and medical care of adolescents and young people aged 10-24 years. In addition to the above mentioned problems an adolescent physician can also help with:
Transition care
Eating disorder
Gender dysphoria
Menstrual health
Self harm
Sexual health
Substance use
Weight management
Executive dysfunction in high school & university
Anxiety

CAYA DS Also Provides Transition Care:

Transition care: Transition care is the process of moving from paediatric to adult health care service. Your adolescent physician takes you through the process. Transition care involves helping the young person develop autonomy based on their potential.

For cognitively capable individuals it involves developing medical literacy, compliance to medication, independence in seeking medical care and entering adulthood in the best possible physical and mental health. This sets the individual to a long, healthy and happy life.

We offer comprehensive cognitive and emotional assessments, including formal cognitive assessments such as WISC 5 and WIAT 3. Our team provides guidance on anxiety, emotional regulation, and executive function.

For young people with intellectual disability, transition involves moving from school to a day program or a combination of work and day program, ensuring appropriate support through NDIS, ensuring daily activities incorporate elements which add to good mental health and helps develop a sense of self within family and community.

Group Programs

Explore our group programs, including social skills clubs, art, and more, designed to nurture your child’s development.

Children will have access to smaller groups (4 – 6) or larger groups (10 – 12) at a beginner, mid or advanced level. Children and young people who have participated in the programs will also have the option to advance to a coaching or a mentoring role.

*Please note that these programs are not NDIS funded.

Outreach Programs - Servicing Rural Australia

CAYA DS is passionate about bringing expert healthcare and support services all over Australia. Any general practitioner who wants to set up a shared care arrangement with our team is encouraged to do so. It is the responsibility of the general practitioner to organise a list of patients that require our services within a given area. The team will then travel to the area and provide initial assessment and plan for ongoing management to patients, utilising a room provided by the resident general practitioner, provided there is enough demand.

From here our team is more than willing to provide ongoing telehealth services and build shared care arrangemnt with the general practitioner. The team will be returning to physically review patients once a sufficient amount of time has passed (at least a year).

Special Schools

We’re passionate about extending our services to special schools. The dedicated team at CAYA DS are currently working to make it possible for our experts to visit special schools onsite and provide specialised care to young people within their school environment. Providing services within a special school environment is ideal as it allows the team to develop comprehensive care plans and see the young person in their natural educational environment. The child or young person will be seen in an appropriate space in the school (meeting room), in the presence of class teacher, teacher aide, parents and therapist. The team develops an understanding of the child’s progress, current challenges and makes future goals.

The response to medications used for attention, learning or emotional regulation as well as behaviour management plans for consistent results are best done in the school environment. The school setting is a safe place for the young person. The involved team and healthcare professionals can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the patient and their difficulties and make management plans which can work at school, therapy, family and community setting.

**Please note these services will only be possible if the children are existing patients of CAYA DS, the clinic requires five or more patients to justify an onsite visit.