ArticleBMC health services research2024
Access to child developmental assessment services in culturally and linguistically diverse metropolitan Sydney: a retrospective cohort analysis.
Article in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Factors Associated with Extreme Waiting Times for Child Developmental Diagnostic Assessments: A Mixed-Methods Service Evaluation in Sydney.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Toddler Track: Streamlining Developmental Assessments-A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of paediatrics and child health · 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
- Caregiver experiences of accessing a child developmental assessment service in a culturally diverse population in Australia: a mixed methods study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Article
- Determinants of Language Development in 18-Month-Old Children within Primary Healthcare Settings.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
- Improving Access to Developmental Assessments Before School: Evaluation of Targeted 'School Starter Blitz' Clinics in Metropolitan Sydney.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite the increasing prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), data regarding access to child development services have remained limited globally. Long wait times are a major barrier to developmental assessments, impacting on care and outcomes. The aim is to retrospectively analyse the demographic profile and prioritisation of patients seen at a child developmental assessment service (CDAS) in a vulnerable region of Sydney, and explore factors affecting wait times.
methodsData was collated and analysed for 2354 patients from 2018 to 2022. Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) were collated from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic data and various statistical methods were used to analyse the relationships and impact of factors likely to affect wait lists.
resultsThe median age was 51 months (IQR41-61) and males comprised 73.7% of the cohort. 64% of children were from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) and 47% lived in the most disadvantaged suburbs. The median wait time was 302.5 days (IQR175-379) and 70% of children were seen within 12 months. CALD patients and children over 5-years had shorter wait times. Most children with Global Developmental Delay (GDD) were from the lowest four SEIFA deciles and waited longer for an appointment. 42.6% were seen within the priority allocated time or sooner. Children with ASD and/or severe GDD were prioritised to be seen earlier. Overall, the study could not demonstrate any difference in the wait times according to the prioritisation groups.
conclusionThis study provides insights into the profile, prioritisation processes and wait lists of children seen by CDAS in South Western Sydney with high rates of social vulnerability and presents an argument to discuss benchmarking targets with service providers. It identifies the need to prioritise children living in suburbs with socioeconomic disadvantage and refine prioritisation and data collection processes to improve wait times.
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