New health check starts for three year olds across the country
Hundreds of thousands of toddlers across the nation now receive a new subsidized developmental screening program starting today.
The initiative belongs to the Thriving Kids program which aims to divert children away from the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Families gain cheaper doctor access to catch developmental concerns early in their lives.
GPs will assess medical history, behaviors, relationships, toileting, lifestyle and sleep against typical milestones for these young patients. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said it was excited by this move arriving after a previous check for four-year-olds was cancelled in 2015.
Tim Jones helped design this new check to identify kids struggling to meet their potential at school. He noted the number of children needing more support from the health system is growing significantly in recent years across the nation.
If a developmental concern is identified during the assessment, the practitioner will decide whether to make interventions or referrals to places like speech therapists. This early identification aims to prevent children from struggling more and making difficult transitions to school later on.