Children’s health Archives | Page 11 of 12

28 February 2022

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It can be difficult to know when a child’s behaviour is a typical developmental stage or whether further intervention is needed. Families need support if their child’s behaviour is impacting on family functioning, the child’s engagement in daily tasks and learning environments, or if there are safety concerns.

Examples of challenging behaviour:

Defiance/ refusing age appropriate requests
Overly fussy
Hurting self/ others
Excessively angry when refused their wishes
Ongoing tantrums

Some behaviours of concern may be due to an undiagnosed developmental delay (for example, social, emotional, communication), disability or trauma.

Where to refer?

Psychologist or family therapist
Parent Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT)
Parenting education program such as Circle of Security or Tuning in to Kids

Resources

Where to refer

PCIT website

EACH referral

Resourcing Parents website

Parent handout

28 January 2022

Vaccinating children

In Australia, immunisation coverage rates for children are high.

More than 90 per cent of children are fully immunised at one, two and five years of age. This high rate of immunisation helps to maintain herd immunity, especially for those who are too young to be immunised or those who are not able to be immunised for medical reasons.

Children under five are especially susceptible to disease because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defences to fight infection. By fully immunising on time, you can protect your child from disease and also protect other children at school or day care.

Children get so many immunisations because new vaccines against serious infections continue to be developed. The number of injections is also being reduced by the use of combination vaccines, where several vaccines are combined into one injection.

Tracking a child’s immunisation record

The immunisation history statement helps parents and doctors keep a child’s vaccinations on schedule.

An immunisation record starts when a child receives their first vaccination and is updated with each vaccination visit. Parents can keep track of their child’s immunisation statement by requesting an Australian Immunisation Record (AIR) statement in the following ways:

Online – through MyGov once an account has been created
Medicare Express Plus App – once a MyGov account has been created
Over the counter – at a Medicare Service Centre
Phone – call AIR on 1800 653 809

Immunisation History Statements are necessary for childcare and school enrolment, employment at certain workplaces and are currently used by Medicare and Centrelink to determine eligibility for some family assistance payments.

Save the Date to Vaccinate

Vaccines provide the best protection if they are given on time. Stay up-to-date with your child’s vaccinations.

Download the Save the Date to Vaccinate app, set up a family profile and the app will create recommended immunisation schedules, along with handy reminders for when vaccines are due.

Download NSW Health’s Save the Date to Vaccinate app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Find out more about the Save the Date to Vaccinate app

Vaccinating adolescents

NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in a school-based vaccination program.
Parent information kits are sent home to parents early in the school year. To consent to vaccination, parents are advised to read all the information provided, complete and sign the consent form and return it to their child’s school.

NSW School Vaccination Program 2021

Intensive English Centres (IECs)

Newly arrived migrants (including refugees) attending Intensive English Centres (IECs) are offered vaccines based on student age. Speak to a GP or other healthcare provider for more information.
Information about the vaccinations is also available in 26 community languages.

Distance education/home-schooled students

Students who are enrolled in distance education or who are home-schooled are advised to attend their GP or other immunisation provider for free age-appropriate vaccinations.
For more information about the NSW School Vaccination Program in your area contact your local public health unit by calling 1300 066 055.

11 January 2022

Multilingualism has been linked with numerous benefits for children and families.

Children may learn multiple languages simultaneously, and may show a preference for one Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705 language. Receptive language skills are key in determining if speech pathology intervention is required for multilingual children.

The amount of exposure to each language directly impacts language acquisition, and the trajectory of language development for multilingual children can differ from monolingual children. When a child has strong skills in their first language, they are better able to learn additional languages.

Referral to speech pathology is important if a child is having difficulty with understanding and following verbal information in their primary language.

Resources for multilingual homes

30 November 2021

A new online course – A GP Framework for Child Mental Health Assessment (5-12 years) – is being held through Emerging Minds Learning.

Emerging Minds offers free resources for practitioners working with families and children to improve child mental health outcomes in Australia.

The course attracts 40 CPD points through the RACGP CPD Accreditation program and is recognised by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as a stand-alone Clinical Enhancement Module (as part of the MHST modular pathway).

Resources include:

19 November 2021

In the South Western Sydney Local Health District, one in four children are at risk of delayed fine motor skills.

Holding and manipulating objects using hand muscles allows children to participate in play, self-care and school-based tasks. These are crucial for academic, social and emotional development.

Fine motor skills consist of:

Hand and finger strength
Hand preference/dominance
Bilateral coordination (using two hands together)
Visual motor integration (hand/eye coordination)
Object and pencil grasp
Cutting skills
Drawing and handwriting skills

The first years of life are critical for learning new skills. Early identification and intervention of fine motor difficulties is key in reducing the risks of poor academic, social and long-term life outcomes. Early referral to Occupational Therapy will provide the best support for children identified with delay in fine motor skills.

How to identify a fine motor delay: checklist by age

Where and how to refer

08 November 2021

A GP framework for infant and early childhood mental health assessment (0-5 years) aims to enhance the clinical practice in mental health of GPs working with infants and young children aged 0 to five years.

The Emerging Minds online course has been developed in collaboration with a GP consultancy group to equip GPs with knowledge of common child mental health conditions, strengthen their engagement skills for interacting with a child and their family, and develop practical skills for child mental health assessment and management.

The course is accredited with the RACGP as a CPD Accredited Activity (40 CPD points) and with ACRMM as a PDP Activity (6 PDP hours). It is also accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as stand-alone Clinical Enhancement Module. The course is available to practitioners free of charge.

Below you’ll find:

A summary of the course and its learning outcomes

A prescribed GP learning pathway which includes other relevant online courses

A Pathways of Care template to download and use to create a central database of services you can reach out to

A promotional video about this course

14 October 2021

Early assessment and support for mental illness is particularly important for children and young people to prevent negative long-term impacts. Many infants and children visit their GP frequently and these consultations present the ideal opportunity for early intervention. Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705

However, most doctors are pressed for time and some may lack confidence in identifying and addressing mental health concerns, especially in infants and toddlers. Supporting children’s mental health doesn’t need to be difficult or time-consuming. Many of the skills GPs use every day can be applied to support children’s mental health.

Australia’s Emerging Minds provides an evidence-informed guide created specifically for GPs. This article includes links to brief videoclips, podcasts and e-learning courses on conducting child mental health assessments.

Early intervention and referral by GPs can prevent progression of a mental health condition, contributing importantly to children’s future wellbeing.

Southwest Sydney Paediatric Clinics

21 September 2021

One in in five children in South Western Sydney are at risk of poor language outcomes. A child’s vocabulary and language skills at age three predict their later academic, mental health, socio-emotional wellbeing and employment outcomes.

Children’s language skills consist of their ability to understand and use language effectively across different environments. In addition to the Blue Book, you can use this communication screening checklist to assist in identifying when a child may be experiencing delays in their communication skills.

Communication screening checklist

Early intervention is key to enhancing children’s outcomes in later life. If there are communication concerns for a child, at any age, refer to speech pathology services.

SP Services Directory

The longer we wait to refer children, the more limited their access to time-critical supports becomes. Children who receive the right treatment, at the right time, in the right way will have better outcomes.

This article was written by members of the ‘Stronger Seeds, Taller Trees’ project which includes professionals from a number of government and non-government organisations in South Western Sydney. The group aims to support GPs working with families to navigate and access timely services when they have a concern about a child’s development.

12 August 2021

When parents and carers have concerns about their child’s development, their GP may connect them to a range of mainstream services and refer them to an Early Childhood Partner.

The Early Childhood Approach supports children 0 to 6 with developmental delay or disability. Qualified professionals build the skills and knowledge of families and other people in the child’s life to support them to learn new skills, participate in everyday activities and be included in mainstream environments.

When children need longer term supports, the partner will support families to access the NDIS.

Children with developmental delays or concerns do not need a diagnosis to be referred to the Early Childhood Approach.

EACH is the Early Childhood Partner in South West Sydney.

Find your local Early Childhood Partner

Information for GPs

The Early Childhood Approach Guidelines

Best Practice in Early Intervention Parent Handout

EACH Phone referrals: 1300 003 224

EACH Referral Form

Send referral form to: PITC.EACH.ENQUIRIES@ndis.gov.au

22 July 2021

The first three years of life are critical for a child’s brain development. Early intervention is linked with positive changes in functional gains for children and can positively impact all aspects of development and functioning including mental health, physical, social and cognitive development.

To achieve the best results from early intervention we need early identification of developmental concerns and referral to appropriate services. It is recommended to refer at the time of identification to ensure access to supports within the first three years of life or as early as possible.

Where and how to refer

Waitlists vary between services. It is important to refer early to account for potential waitlist times. Please consider referring to both private (using Medicare rebate options) and community health services to ensure families are offered supports in the timeliest manner.