Northpoint Developmental Assessment
Developmental Assessment
Chatswood 2067 (Unverified) 2067
Private
Multidisciplinary developmental assessment with clear written reports written for the referring professional.
Pending
Quick answer
What is a child developmental assessment?
A developmental assessment looks at areas of a child's development to better understand their strengths, differences and support needs.
Depending on the reason for referral, an assessment may explore communication, learning, behaviour, social development, movement, daily living skills, attention or other developmental areas. Some assessments are completed by one clinician. Others may involve a multidisciplinary team.
When might a developmental assessment be considered?
Families or referrers may seek assessment when:
- developmental milestones raise concerns
- a child is having difficulty with communication, learning or everyday skills
- there are questions about developmental delay
- autism assessment may be appropriate
- educators or health professionals have identified developmental concerns
- support planning would benefit from a clearer picture of strengths and needs
- several areas of development appear to be affected
- a family has received different observations from different settings and needs a more structured review
Assessment should be driven by a clear clinical or developmental question, not simply by a desire to collect reports.
What can a developmental assessment involve?
Depending on the provider and purpose, the process may include:
Developmental history
Discussion with parents or carers about development, health, communication, behaviour, routines and family priorities.
Observation
The clinician may observe how the child communicates, plays, responds, learns or participates.
Standardised assessment tools
Where appropriate, clinicians may use validated tools to compare aspects of development with expected developmental patterns.
Information from other settings
Educator reports, previous assessments or observations from other professionals may provide useful context.
Feedback and recommendations
Families should receive an explanation of findings and practical recommendations about next steps.
Who can provide developmental assessment?
The appropriate professional depends on the type of assessment required. Assessment may involve:
- paediatricians
- psychologists
- speech pathologists
- occupational therapists
- physiotherapists
- multidisciplinary child development teams
- other appropriately qualified practitioners
An autism diagnostic assessment, psychological assessment, speech-language assessment and occupational therapy assessment are not interchangeable. Families should look for a service that matches the actual referral question.
Does every child need a diagnosis?
No. A developmental assessment can be useful even when the goal is simply to understand a child's strengths and needs.
Current NSW Thriving Kids guidance also states that a diagnosis will not be required to access Thriving Kids services. This means families should not assume they must obtain a diagnosis solely to ask for early developmental help. Official intake and functional needs processes for Thriving Kids continue to be implemented.
For families: choosing an assessment service
Before booking, ask:
- What question is this assessment designed to answer?
- Which professional or team will conduct it?
- What age groups do you assess?
- Is the assessment diagnostic, developmental, functional or discipline-specific?
- What reports are included?
- Is parent or educator information required?
- How long is the current wait?
- What happens after the assessment?
- Can the provider explain available support pathways after results are discussed?
- What are the fees and possible rebates?
A good assessment process should help the family understand the child, not simply produce a label.
For referrers: make the referral question specific
Referral quality improves when the provider knows why assessment is being requested. Useful referral questions include:
- Is there evidence of developmental delay across more than one area?
- What is contributing to the child's communication difficulty?
- Would an autism assessment be clinically appropriate?
- What strengths and functional needs should guide support planning?
- Which developmental areas need more detailed assessment?
Include relevant observations, history, reports and family priorities.
Developmental assessment and Thriving Kids NSW
Thriving Kids is intended to help children access support earlier based on developmental needs.
The national model places emphasis on understanding functional needs and matching children and families with appropriate supports. NSW has stated that more information on eligibility, intake and referral pathways will be published as services become available.
A private developmental assessment may be useful in some circumstances, but families should not assume that a private diagnostic report will be required for Thriving Kids access.
For the latest official program information, see the NSW Department of Communities and Justice Thriving Kids page.
ThrivingKidsNSW.au does not determine eligibility for Thriving Kids and does not provide government approval of assessment providers.
Developmental Assessment listings on ThrivingKidsNSW.au
1 listings in this category, 0 currently accepting referrals.
For NSW child development providers
Help families and professionals understand exactly what your service assesses
Assessment searches are often high-intent. Families and referrers need to distinguish between different assessment types quickly. Your provider profile should clearly state:
- assessment types offered
- professional disciplines involved
- age ranges and developmental areas assessed
- diagnostic services, where within scope
- whether multidisciplinary assessment is available
- report inclusions
- locations and telehealth components
- referral requirements and expected wait times
- fees or funding pathways where appropriate
Thriving Kids readiness for assessment services
Thriving Kids places greater emphasis on early identification of needs and connecting children with appropriate support without requiring diagnosis as the default entry point.
Assessment providers can prepare by clearly differentiating developmental, functional and diagnostic assessments, improving referral information, publishing wait times and ensuring families understand what an assessment can and cannot determine.
Providers should avoid marketing that suggests a private diagnosis is required to access Thriving Kids unless official NSW policy later says so.
Make your assessment service easier to understand and refer to
Add your developmental assessment service to ThrivingKidsNSW.au and show families and professionals your assessment scope, locations, disciplines and current availability.
Frequently asked questions
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ThrivingKidsNSW.au is an independent information, provider discovery and referral platform associated with Qaswa.au. It is not operated by the NSW Government, Australian Government, NDIA or NDIS. Provider listings do not represent government approval or commissioning unless specifically stated and independently verified.
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