If you have concerns about your child’s development then the sooner you get talk with someone the better. Because children develop at such different rates it can be hard to know whether to be worried or not. That is why it is best to talk to someone who has experience in this area such as your maternal and child health nurse, General Practitioner or Paediatrician.


Information on this page:

Who should I talk to?

What is developmental delay?

If my child has a delay or disability, who do I contact?

Maternal and Child Health Line

You can call 13 22 29 throughout Victoria for the cost of a local call and speak to a maternal and child health nurse 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

General Practitioners

If you do not have a family doctor already you can find a local GP through this link to a search engine on the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners web site.

www.racgp.org.au/findapractice

The following is some general information about developmental delays.

Each child develops in his or her own unique way, but there are recognized stages of normal development. These stages are measured in five different developmental areas:

Motor: rolling, sitting, walking and using hands
Social: eye contact, interaction with others, behaviour and emotional development
Language: understanding and speaking of verbal language as well as communication by non-verbal means such as pointing and gesturing
Cognition: problem solving, reasoning, thinking and development of play skills
Daily living skills: development of self care skills such as feeding, dressing and toileting

Developmental delay is the term used when a young child is slower to reach milestones than other children. Developmental delay is identified as being present if a child is behind in any of these areas. Global developmental delay is diagnosed if a child has significant delays in two or more areas. Mild delays may be of no concern. Severe delays in any area or global developmental delay may indicate the possibility of ongoing developmental disabilities.

The first step is to consult your maternal and child health nurse or GP. If they share your concerns, your GP may refer you to a paediatrician who will perform a general health and development check. If a delay or disability is identified, your paediatrician may refer you to another service, depending upon the presenting problem and its severity. This may include:

further tests and/or formal assessment of developmental progress
specialist assessment for conditions such as autism
a community health or private service, such as speech therapy, to assist you and your child with the specific
          difficulty they are experiencing
an Early Childhood Intervention Service

In Victoria the entrance to Early Childhood Intervention Services is managed on a regional basis through Specialist Children’s Services, in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. There is a central phone number:

1800 783 783 (and ask for Specialist Children’s Services) between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, if you know which region you live in, you can contact your local service using the following phone numbers: