ArticleBMJ open2023
Diagnostic delay in children with neurodevelopmental conditions attending a publicly funded developmental assessment service: findings from the Sydney Child Neurodevelopment Research Registry.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Artificial intelligence for tracking social behaviours and supporting an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.EBioMedicine · 2025Pooled it
- Improved readability in written neurodevelopmental reports by five writing rules.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2025Trial
- Mental disorders in childhood or adolescence and subsequent comprehensive school achievement.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026Article
- No Association Between Umbilical Cord pH and Special Educational Needs Among Children With Normal 5-Minute Apgar Scores.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
- Factors Associated with Extreme Waiting Times for Child Developmental Diagnostic Assessments: A Mixed-Methods Service Evaluation in Sydney.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Cumulative Adverse Childhood Experiences and Multiple Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Study.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Article
- Predictive Value of Referral Concerns for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Developmental Delay: A Retrospective Audit of a Tertiary Paediatric Developmental Service.Journal of paediatrics and child health · 2026Article
- A simulation study of a long-term neurodevelopmental care pathway for children with congenital heart disease.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Early attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prediction from longitudinal electronic health records.Nature. Mental health · 2026Article
- Family and health professional perspectives of the CHD LIFE cardiac developmental long-term care pathway: a qualitative evaluation.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic and Clinical Profile of 915 Autistic Preschoolers Engaged in Intensive Early Intervention in Australia.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Article
- Associations of mental disorders in children with parents' subsequent mental disorders: nationwide cohort study from Finland and Denmark.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2026Article
- Article
- Exploring parental perspectives of physiotherapy in children with congenital heart disease: a qualitative study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Caregiver psychiatric symptoms, assessment delay, and access to supports for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Screen to Screen Versus Face to Face: Evaluating Telehealth Autism Diagnostic Assessments for Young Children in a Diverse Clinical Setting.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Article
- Association of a child's mental disorder with parental income and employment: analysis of nationwide register-based cohorts in Finland and Denmark.BMJ mental health · 2025Article
- Parents as key actors to screen early childhood development disorders: Validation of a culturally sensitive, parent-administered screening instrument using Delphi technique.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Waiting Times and Influencing Factors in Children and Adults Undergoing Assessment for Autism, ADHD, and Other Neurodevelopmental Differences.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesEarly developmental assessment is crucial for effective support and intervention. This study examined factors that contribute to (a) older child age when caregivers first became concerned about their child's development and (b) older child age at the point of entry into developmental and diagnostic assessment. We also quantified how factors contributed to risk of children not receiving an assessment by 5 years and considered the acceptability of electronic data capture for families.
designThis cross-sectional study collected information about caregiver developmental concerns, family history and child characteristics.
settingChildren and families entered a large, publicly funded hospital-based paediatric developmental assessment service.
participantsConsecutively enrolled children (N=916) aged 6 months to 17 years with neurodevelopmental concerns and their caregivers. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: A developmental history questionnaire completed by caregivers.
resultsThe average age that caregivers identified developmental concerns was 3.0 years of age but the average age of a receiving a developmental assessment was 6.6 years. Only 46.4% of children received a diagnostic assessment by 5 years of age, even though 88.0% of caregivers were concerned about their child's development by that age. Parental age, relationship status, education level, prior use of support services and being from a culturally and linguistically diverse background contributed to age at identification of concern, age at diagnostic assessment and the likelihood of receiving a diagnostic assessment by 5 years. Electronic data capture had high acceptability, with 88.2% of caregivers reporting a preference for electronic completion of questionnaires.
conclusionsThe study shows a substantial delay in diagnostic assessments that leaves most vulnerable children without an assessment by school age and highlights contributors to delays. These delays highlight the complexity of delivering early intervention and support policies that rely on swift and appropriate developmental assessment to vulnerable families.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.