Learning difficulty/disability in children ≥ 6 years
Emergency referrals
If any of the following are present or suspected, phone 000 to arrange immediate transfer to the emergency department or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
It is proposed that the following conditions should be sent directly to emergency. This is not a list of all conditions that should be sent to the emergency department, it is intended as guidance for presentations that may otherwise have been directed to general paediatric outpatients:
Does your patient wish to be referred?
Minimum referral criteria
Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1
Appointment within 30 days is desirable
- Definite history of loss of academic ability with deterioration in cognition suggestive of neurological disease. (IQ measurement is not required in order to accept this referral)
Category 2
Appointment within 90 days is desirable
- Acute severe functional deterioration in a child diagnosed with a learning disability
Category 3
Appointment within 365 days is desirable
- Educational psychology assessment suggests intellectual Impairment
- Suspected attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity
If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria
Consider other treatment pathways or an alternative diagnosis.
If you still need to refer your patient:
- Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
- Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service
Other important information for referring practitioners
Not an exhaustive list
- Refer to local care pathway
- All children referred for learning difficulty require visual acuity and audiometry results.
- Developmental optometry and auditory processing assessments are not supported by evidence
- Are there significant behavioural or emotional issues suggesting that this referral would be better assessed under a behavioural category?
- In the majority of cases it is thought inappropriate for children to wait more than 6 months for an outpatient initial appointment
- If you have a reason to suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm, or is at risk of experiencing harm, you need to contact Child Safety Services: https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/
Referral requirements
A referral may be rejected without the following information.
- General referral information
- WISC or other equivalent IQ measurement within the previous 3 years or detailed information regarding learning abilities (such as NAPLAN report or reading, spelling, maths age equivalent levels) (provided by the school or another external provider). This is not required if there is a concern about developmental regression.
- Report presence or absence of red flags
Presence or absence of red flags- Is there definite history of developmental regression, and if so what specific loss of skills has been noted?
- Is the child expected to be in out of home care supervised by the department of child safety for more than 6 months?
Additional referral information (useful for processing the referral)
Highly desirable information – may change triage category
- Classroom reports of school performance and engagement with school work.
- Other assessments of academic ability and achievement
- Are there significant behavioural or emotional issues suggesting that this referral would be better assessed under a behavioural category? It is acknowledged that behavioural difficulties can be secondary to learning problems
- Audiometry
- Medical history
- Family history, including family members affected with ASD, ADHD, learning difficulty or mental illness.
- Copies of previous of speech, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or cognitive assessments if available.
- If the child is in foster care please provide the name and regional office for the child safety officer who is the responsible case manager.
- Significant psychosocial risk factors (especially parents mental health, family violence, housing and financial stress, department of child safety involvement)
- School history –exclusions or suspensions.
Desirable information — will assist at consultation
- Pregnancy and birth history
- Other past medical history
- Immunisation history
- Developmental history
- Medication history
- Height/weight/head circumference and growth charts with prior measurements if available.
- Other physical examination findings inclusive of CNS, birth marks or dysmorphology
- Any relevant laboratory results or medical imaging reports
Out of catchment
Metro North Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary care or services that are not provided by their local Hospital and Health Service. If your patient lives outside the Metro North Health area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
Send referral
Hotline: 1300 364 938
Medical Objects ID: MQ40290004P
HealthLink EDI: qldmnhhs
Mail:
Metro North Central Patient Intake
Aspley Community Centre
776 Zillmere Road
ASPLEY QLD 4034
Health pathways
Access to Health Pathways is free for clinicians in Metro North Brisbane.
For login details email:
healthpathways
Login to Brisbane North Health Pathways:
brisbanenorth.