Clinical Pathways
Referral and information gathered during our intake processes will determine which clinical pathway is best suited to address your concerns. You may be allocated to either a Single Discipline Clinic, or to one of our Multidisciplinary Team Clinics. At any time during the care of your young person, with your consent, you may be referred to other clinicians within the service.
We offer the following clinics:
CDS Single Discipline Clinics
There is significant demand and waiting time for this publicly funded Paediatric Service. We will be able to provide you with an approximate waiting time at the time of acceptance, although it may vary. If you believe that your concerns for your child have changed since the initial referral, please contact us to discuss further.
Alternatively, families may choose to access this service privately, via a referral from their GP. If you no longer require our service, please contact us to remove you from our waitlist.
If your concerns are predominantly around your child’s behaviour or their mental health, we recommend discussing this with your GP. You may require referral to a more appropriate service (e.g. Psychologist, Parenting Specialists, or a Mental Health provider).
- Speech Pathology Clinic (0-Prep Entry)
- Physiotherapy Clinic (0-Prep Entry)
- Occupational Therapy Clinic (0-Prep Entry)
Please note, our service will help with diagnosis for your child, but we have LIMITED capacity for therapy - we help you to find this support locally in your community.
CDS Multidisciplinary Clinics
CDS Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Assessment Clinics are predominantly assessment only, aiming to complete formal and informal assessments over a short period of time 1-3 months (depending on the clinic).
Whilst these clinics are multidisciplinary, the type of assessments and the team members involved with the young person and family, will vary depending on presentation. Your child may not meet all the members of the team.
Post assessment, the focus is on providing feedback to the family to ensure understanding of young person’s current developmental strengths and difficulties. They will then support the family to link with external long-term support services, for example, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), private allied health therapist and other community non-Government Organisations.
Staff: Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Psychologist with additional support from Dietitian and Paediatrician (once per month)
The CDS Mealtime clinic provides a coordinated interdisciplinary approach towards the assessment and intervention of young children experience significant and complex mealtime difficulties. The clinic is predominantly supported by allied health staff. Children will be seen by the clinicians who are best able to support their identified needs, they may not see the entire team.
Based on this assessment, children will be triaged according to their needs. This may include time-limited intervention provided within the CDS Mealtime Clinic or referral to another more suitable service (either within Gold Coast Health or externally) to provide the support required.
Navigating the Maze of Mealtime – Carer Education Session – CDS Mealtime Allied Health Clinics frequently run a caregiver education session (2 hours) providing key information around common aspects and strategies used to support children experiencing mealtime difficulties. This session provides initial support and guidance for families whilst they are on the waiting list for the CDS Mealtime Clinic. Any caregiver of a child experiencing mealtime difficulties is welcome to attend, regardless of whether their child meets criteria for accessing support through the CDS Mealtime Clinic. Register to attend by phoning 07) 5687 9183 (Press Option 2).
Please note: There is significant demand and waiting times for this publicly funded Mealtime Service. We will provide you with an approximate waiting time at the time of your referral being accepted, although it may vary due to clinical priorities and varying service demands. If you believe that your concerns for you child have changed since initial referral, please contact our Intake Officer to discuss further.
Alternatively, families may choose to seek mealtime support through external providers (fees usually apply). There are several funded programs and rebates which may be available to help your child access private feeding/mealtime services. Please contact your GP or our service if you would like further information.
Staff: Paediatrician, Paediatric Registrars, Psychologist, Social Worker, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapists
The CDS Multidisciplinary Clinic provides coordinated team assessment for young people that present with complex developmental and/or behavioural concerns. Complex can either mean developmental concerns in two or more areas and/or family situation where a team approach is preferred model of care.
Staff: Paediatrician, GP (with Special Interest), Psychologist, Psychology Student, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Nurses, Pharmacist.
The CDS Futures Clinic provides a multidisciplinary coordinated diagnostic assessment process for young people over the age of 7 years, presenting with developmental and/or learning concerns. You will have an initial appointment with one of our team members, who will determine which extra assessments and supports are required for your young person.
Concerns around possible Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common presentation to this clinic. These children are typically seen by our GPs with Special Interests initially, with aim to provide assessment and commence on possible intervention (medications) before discharging the family back to their GP. A small percentage of children with ADHD may also require additional assessments by our Allied Health team.
Staff: Paediatricians, Neuro-Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Clinic Coordinator (Social Worker support available if required)
The CDS Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Clinic provides diagnostic assessment for young people who present with pre-natal exposure to alcohol and concerns around development, learning and/or behaviour. Services provided will be dependent on multiple factors including a child’s age, current developmental and/or behavioural concerns and the severity of concerns.
The clinic provides assessment for both young people and families that live within the Gold Coast Health area, as well as accepting referrals from other Child Development Service, Paediatricians and/or GPs for children that reside within Queensland (and occasionally other states).
The level of support provided to those families outside of Gold Coast Area, will depend on local area services and supports that are available, and may range from providing clinical guidance to a treating local therapist, providing joint assessments, or completing full FASD diagnostic assessment.
FASD Clinic Gold Coast also provides education training to other clinicians interested in learning more about FASD diagnosis, assessment and intervention.
Please note: There is significant demand and waiting times for this publicly funded FASD Diagnostic Service. We will be able to provide you with an approximate waiting time at the time of acceptance, although it may vary. If you believe that your concerns for your child have changed since the initial referral, please contact us to discuss further.
Staff: Paediatrician, Neuro-Psychologist, Speech Pathologist, Psychologist, Social Worker (access to Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist are available if required).
CDS in late 2021, in collaboration with Norfolk Village State School (NVSS), established the first Health-Education Hub. The clinic accepts referrals directly from NVSS for developmental assessment of students that present with complex developmental/learning concerns. Once clinical processes are established, referrals will be accepted from other surrounding schools.
Supports for Families already engaged with CDS
Our team may refer your family to one of our following supports:
- Nurse Navigator Service (0-16+ years)
- Nurse Practitioner (0-16+ years)
- Social Work Support (0-16+ years)
- Psychology Clinic (0-Prep Entry)
- Pharmacy Clinic (1-16+ years)
- Neuropsychology Clinic (1-16+ years)