Children (0–5 years) with developmental concerns

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Published: December 2024. Next review: 2029.

Each child reaches developmental milestones at their own pace. Physical, emotional and social factors impact their growth and development. The right care at the right time leads to the best outcomes.

This guide outlines minimum standards for delivering, planning and benchmarking paediatric care in children aged 0–5 years across levels of care. It gives clinicians, service providers and system managers a way to offer shared care, enabling the child and family to move between Tier 1 to 4 services.

The guide explains referral and intake and how to complete a functional assessment to plan interventions. It highlights the need for collaboration across tiers because different types of care often need to occur simultaneously.

Download the clinical practice guide (PDF 872.2 KB)

At a glance

Supporting resources

These resources will assist clinicians to diagnose disorders and support children, families and carers:

Background

Developmental concerns can occur in one or more developmental domains. They can include:

  • speech
  • language
  • fine and gross motor skills
  • cognitive
  • social
  • emotional development.

These concerns can have a range of outcomes. Initial presentation doesn’t necessarily predict a developmental disorder. A stepped approach is essential for appropriate care and use of resources.

This guide was developed in response to the Review of Health Services for Children, Young People and Families within the NSW Health System by Emeritus Professor Richard Henry AM (the Henry Review). The report noted differences in approaches to intake criteria and assessment adopted by Tier 3 and Tier 4 services across NSW.

References

The teams involved in creating the clinical practice guide drew on a range of references that formed it and the supporting resources. They are listed here.

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