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6 Referral | Back | Table of Contents | Next | The referral pathways for school and pre-school children vary according to the child’s needs and presenting difficulties. They are summarised in the flowchart presented in figure 1. Full details are presented in sections 8 and 9 but the principles are presented below. 6.1 Health Parents and school staff will be able to address all the needs of many of the children with DCD but children who have significant functional difficulties or who have problems in addition to co-ordination difficulties will benefit from further assessment by health services. Following discussion of the child’s difficulties with the parents, their consent should be obtained for a referral to enable the assessment to take place. Community Paediatricians and Speech and Language Therapists have an open referral system. In consultation with parents, further information is often sought from colleagues in Health and Education regarding the child. The type of information that would be helpful in the assessment of a child prior to making a referral is outlined in Appendix C. Following discussion with the parents, Paediatricians will refer where appropriate to other agencies. For example, If a child is considered by the paediatrician to have additional problems, such as joint laxity, the child may be referred to both Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy in order to facilitate a comprehensive assessment. Children suspected of having co-morbid conditions may be referred to colleagues in Health and Education and, where appropriate, Social Work Services. 6.2 Education Where a child’s difficulties impact on educational progress referral is through the staged process described in section 9.
Figure 1. Pathway of Care for Children with DCD | Back | Table of Contents | Next | | Home | DCD Explained | Guidance Notes | Group Activities | Newsletters | Design & Development by Merkinch Technology Centre. |
