Diagnosis and assessment of a disability

Key facts

Families and support workers can benefit from having a good understanding of the nature and cause of a person’s intellectual disability or developmental delay. This helps people to understand and meet the person’s needs.

“Diagnosis and assessment” is the process of working out the nature and cause of a disability and providing advice about the person’s needs and available services. Each step of this process should add to your understanding of the person’s difficulties with development, their strengths, and how to find the right services to help you meet the person’s needs and maximise their potential.

When can diagnosis and assessment help?

Diagnosis and assessment usually occurs in early childhood, but can also be useful in adolescence or adulthood. It is good to get good information as soon as possible so you can plan to meet the person’s needs.

Diagnosis and assessment is particularly important for a person with complex or challenging needs.

How to get diagnosis and assessment

If you suspect that a child has an intellectual disability, there are a number of services who can help.

NSW Health encourages parents to have regular health checks done by a nurse or doctor from the birth of a child to age 4. This is explained in My first health record which is given to all parents of newborns. These checks help to detect any delay in a child’s development or learning – two factors that may suggest an intellectual disability.

Seeing your GP is always a good first point of contact. They are likely to know what other services are in your area. Your GP can also check to see if there are other conditions that are causing the person’s difficulties, such as a hearing problem or a deficiency in nutrition. The GP can identify and treat general health conditions. They will probably also refer your child to a paediatrician or child health service.

A paediatrician can say whether a significant problem is likely and link your child with intervention services. The paediatrician may do some tests to try to find a cause for the disability.

School counsellors and psychologists can also do assessments to identify an intellectual disability.

However, it often is best to go to a diagnosis and assessment service that is a “multidisciplinary” team. These teams have a number of different kinds of health professionals working together.

About diagnosis and assessment services

The NSW Diagnosis and Assessment Special Interest Group has spelt out the roles and staff that are needed in diagnosis and assessment (D&A) services. The service should be a team of health professionals with expertise in intellectual disability – a paediatrician, psychologist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse and social worker.

The main roles of diagnosis and assessment services are:

Assessment of the extent and cause of the disability.
Assessment of the person’s strengths, difficulties and potential.
Recommendations for ways to help the person achieve their potential.
Support to get and work with other services, eg case managers, early intervention.
Health assessment and referral, for complex health needs.
Information, counselling and support for families.
Case reviews at key stages in the person’s life, eg starting or leaving school, when complex health and medical needs are suspected, or when a sudden change occurs in the person’s health or abilities.

How do I find a diagnosis and assessment service?

See the contact details below of NSW diagnosis and assessment services. These services are multidisciplinary teams. They vary in the age range they serve and in the range of health professionals in the team.

Name of D&A Service	Area covered	Phone (02)	Age
Child Health Assessment Team, Central Coast	Gosford & Wyong area	4328 7900	0-5
Chatswood Assessment Centre	Northern Sydney	9448 3182	0-6
Kogarah Developmental Assessment Service	St George &Sutherland area Illawarra	9587 2444	All ages
Tumbatin Developmental Assessment Clinic, Randwick	Eastern Sydney & children from other areas	9382 8189	0-16
Disability Specialist Unit, Burwood	Ashfield, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Leichhardt, Marrickville & Strathfield Council areas	9334 3700	All ages
Child Assessment Team, Campbelltown	Campbelltown area	4634 3000	0-5
Bankstown	Bankstown area	9780 2777	0-18
Bowral	Wingecarribee area	4868 0888	0-18
Sydney South West Area Child Developmental Service	Sydney South West Area Health Service	9828 4803	0-18
Fairfield	Fairfield area	9616 8237	0-18
Nepean	Penrith area	4734 3166	0-18
PECAT, Parramatta	Auburn, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Holroyd, Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Hawkesbury & Blue Mountains areas	9891 7200	0-6
Blue Mountains Child & Adolescent Development Unit	Blue Mountains Community Health Services	4784 6671	0-18
Auburn Child Development Assessment Team	Auburn, Berala, Chester Hill, Regents Park & Lidcombe	9563 9775	0-5+
Child, Infant and Family Tertiary Service (CIFTS), Goulburn	Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Cooma, Yass & Young areas	4827 3950	0-18
Bathurst Child Development Clinic	Bathurst, Mudgee, Cowra etc	6334 8620	0-18
Child and Family Health Team, Wallsend	Newcastle, Hunter etc	4924 6400	0-7+
Dalwood, Seaforth	Rural and regional	9951 0340	5-12
Royal Far West Children's Health Scheme, Manly	Rural and remote	8966 8500	0-18
Child Development Unit, Westmead	Statewide	9845 2395	0-18

There may be other local services that provide some diagnosis and assessment.

For more information

My first health record
www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2008/pdf/child_personal_health_record.pdf

You might be interested in these fact sheets

Causes of intellectual disability and health care
Children – what kinds of health services are there?

This fact sheet was written in July 2009.

The fact sheet contains general information only and does not take into account individual circumstances. It should not be relied on for medical advice. We encourage you to look at the information in this fact sheet carefully with your health professional to decide whether the information is right for you.