21 September 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience some of the highest rates of Otitis Media and associated hearing loss in the world.
Otitis Media is commonly known as ‘glue ear’ in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Left untreated, these conditions are directly linked to serious and long-term deficits. These include poor medical health, delayed communication and social skill development, challenging behaviour and learning difficulties.
With the COVID-19 lockdowns behind us, now is the time to complete crucial checks for children including:
- regular ear checks
- hearing assessments
- onward referrals to ENTs / audiologists
Information for families
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.
17 August 2023
Fussy eating can lead to stressful and prolonged mealtimes, delayed oro-motor skills, and poor health outcomes including nutrient deficiencies (eg iron), slow growth and constipation.
Early intervention is required when fussy eating is caused by sensory sensitivities with food textures, or when it leads to highly restricted diets (less than 15 to 20 different foods) or challenging behaviours at mealtimes.
Children may require referral to speech pathology and/or occupational therapy.
When and how to refer
Mealtime strategies
- Set up routines – Serve food at the same time and in the same place each day.
- Create an engaging mealtime environment – Remove distractions (eg screens, toys) and share meals together as a family to model positive mealtime behaviours like trying new foods.
- Encourage food exploration and play – Participate together in food preparation and play games with food like sorting by colour or texture, or building houses.
Start Them Right: A parent’s guide to eating for under 5s
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.
20 July 2023
Some children have difficulty processing and responding to information from their senses.
This includes sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, proprioception (body awareness) and vestibular (movement) input.
Signs of sensitivities:
- Seeking sensations (touching, smelling or licking textures, closely watching moving objects, difficulty sitting still)
- Over-reacting to sensations (becoming upset when touched, easily distracted by noise/light, picky with food textures and smells)
- Under-responding to sensations (appearing to ‘tune out’, low response to sound/touch, poor pain perception)
Download:
Sensory seeking versus sensory sensitive
When to refer:
Refer to an occupational therapist when a child’s sensory sensitivities interfere with everyday routines or engagement in learning. Early referral is key in improving functional, social and academic outcomes.
Download:
Early intervention – where and how to refer
Further information about sensory sensitivities
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.
26 June 2023
Transition to school has an impact on a child’s educational trajectory.
A successful transition to school requires social, emotional, communication, and motor skills.
COVID-19 has impacted opportunities for children to develop their ‘ready for school’ skills, as many children could not attend early learning or playgroup.
GPs can help by supporting families to:
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Additional resources:
Children with disability have the right to go to school alongside their peers: Reimagine Australia Ready, Set, School! resource
Starting School (NSW DoE)
PlaygroupsNSW
Find your local school
Transition to School Resource
Crunch and Sip
Conversations for Collaboration
09 June 2023
More imperative than ever, early mental health assessments and support for children and young people should be provided to prevent unnecessary long-term impacts.
Many families visit their GP frequently, and these consultations present the ideal opportunity for early intervention.
As a result of COVID-19, many GPs have become pressed for time, however, GP’s skills and knowledge are crucial in supporting children’s mental health, especially infants and toddlers.
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, critically contributing to children’s future wellbeing.
Southwest Sydney Paediatric Clinics
Referral
Infant Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (ICAMHS)
Phone: 9827 8011/8717 1700
Referral
Phone: 9780 2777
Referral
Phone: 4621 5000
Referral
SWSPHN STAR4Kids Providers (3 to 12 years)
- Camden, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee: AT Full Potential Psychology
Phone: 4655 1694
- Liverpool: Mission Australia
Phone: 9732 6500
- Bankstown/Fairfield: ProActive Psychology
Phone: 9796 3925/9727 7752
- Campbelltown: Sparrow Centre for Children
Phone: 0417 469 800
Referral
Family Mental Health Support Services
- Liverpool: Mission Australia – Happy Healthy Minds
Phone: 9732 6500
- Fairfield: Woodville Alliance
Phone: 9724 3807
- Bankstown: Break Thru People Solutions
Phone: 8700 1400
- Campbelltown: The Benevolent Society
Phone: 4633 3777
Referral
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.
22 May 2023
Gross motor skills are foundational developmental skills required for play, self-care, and academic tasks. The COVID-19 restrictions limited children’s access to community settings such as parks and playgroups to practise gross motor skills.
When to refer
Children may present with the following gross motor difficulties:
- Poor balance and posture
- Poor strength
- Uncoordinated movements
- Clumsiness
Refer to a physiotherapist when a child is not achieving age-appropriate motor milestones or has difficulty with physical activities. Early referral is key in maximising outcomes.
Where and how to refer
What to recommend
Increased opportunities to build gross motor skills.
Encourage parents to:
- Avoid baby walkers
- Reduce screen time
- Prioritise floor tummy time for infants
- Promote outdoor play for all ages
- Attend playgroup
Resources by age
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.
20 April 2023
The COVID lockdowns limited children’s exposure to structured environments such as childcare where they have typically developed their social skills and emotional resilience.
This has resulted in many children presenting with challenging behaviours.
Examples of challenging behaviour include:
- Defiance/ refusing age appropriate requests
- Overly fussy such as difficultly settling
- Hurting self/ others
- Excessively angry when refused their wishes
- Ongoing or frequent emotional outbursts
When to refer?
Challenging behaviour is part of typical development. However, 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.
Some behaviours may be due to an undiagnosed developmental delay (eg 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
Find more information
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.
07 March 2023
Multilingualism has been linked with numerous benefits for children and families.
Children may learn multiple languages simultaneously and may show a preference for one language.
Receptive language skills are key in determining if speech pathology intervention is required for multilingual children.
The limited amount of exposure to languages because of the COVID-19 lockdowns may have directly impacted language acquisition, and the trajectory of language development for multilingual children could differ from monolingual children.
Early referral to speech pathology is critical if a child is having difficulty with understanding and following verbal information in their primary language.
Where and how to refer
Resources for Multilingual Homes
Webinar: The Benefits of Multilingualism
Interview: Teaching multiple languages to under fives
Expert in the field of multilingualism
16 February 2023
One in in four children in South Western Sydney are at risk of delayed fine motor skills.
Since COVID-19 lockdowns, many children who had reduced opportunities to attend early childhood education are presenting with delayed skills.
The importance of fine motor skills
Fine motor skills allow children to participate in play, self-care and school-based tasks.
Early intervention services can maximise outcomes for children who may be having difficulty learning these skills.
Fine motor skills include:
- Hand and finger strength
- Hand preference
- Using two hands together
- Hand-eye coordination
- Object and pencil grasp
- Cutting skills
- Drawing and handwriting skills
Screen and refer
Every appointment is an opportunity to screen a child’s fine motor skills.
It is more important than ever to refer to occupational therapy early as waiting times in both public and private services have increased since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
How to identify a fine motor delay
Quick checklist by age
Occupational therapy
Where and how to refer
17 November 2022
One in five children in South Western Sydney are at risk of poor language outcomes.
The COVID-19 lockdowns have increased the risk of developing communication delays as social interactions and engagement in early learning environments have been limited.
The importance of language skills
Language skills are needed to understand and communicate across different environments. A child’s early language skills are predictive of long-term outcomes.
The harm of watching and waiting
Watching and waiting as children return to pre-COVID community activities will not rectify a language delay. It is better for a child to wait on a waiting list for early intervention which will maximise their outcomes.
It’s more important than ever to refer early, as waiting times in both public and private services have significantly increased since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Instead: screen and act
Every consultation is an opportunity to screen a child’s communication.
In addition to the Blue Book, you can use this screening checklist (communication milestone checklist) to identify when a referral to a speech pathologist is needed (where and how to refer).
