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What We Do

General Paediatrics - Developmental / Behavioural Paediatrics - Paediatric Respiratory & Sleep Medicine 

Paediatric Endocrinology - Paediatric Gastroenterology - Paediatric Neurology - Paediatric Surgery 

Paediatric Psychology - Paediatric Speech Pathology - Play Therapy

Paediatric Dietetics - Paediatric Physiotherapy - Counselling

ADHD & ASD Coach - Infant Distress

General Paediatrics

 

General Paediatrics encompasses comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents across a broad range of acute and chronic illnesses including, but not limited to:

 

  • Asthma

  • Infections

  • Growth concerns

  • Abdominal pain

  • Headaches

  • Sleep difficulties

  • Infant distress

  • Feeding difficulties

  • Challenging behaviours

  • Constipation

  • Bed wetting

  • Learning concerns

 

Paediatricians will liaise with other involved health professionals, preschool or school, and can advocate for your child and coordinate care, a particularly important role when care needs are complex.

General Paediatrics
Developmental / Behavioural Paediatrics
Developmental/Behavioural Paediatrics

 

Paediatricians who have received training in developmental and behavioural paediatrics are expert in the assessment and management of children and adolescents with complex presentations which may include:

 

  • Learning difficulties

  • Attention problems including ADHD

  • Social and friendship difficulties

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Speech/language delay

  • Challenging behaviour including anger and aggression

  • Tics and Tourette’s disorder

  • Oppositional behaviour

  • Toiletting issues

  • Infant crying/settling issues

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

 

Assessment of these complex challenges may take place over a number of consultations; these are not ‘quick fix scenarios’! Your paediatrician may need to spend time collecting information from you and talking to and interacting and playing with your child individually. They may also need to contact your child’s day care, pre-school or school by telephone and/or by questionnaire before being able to reach a hypothesis as to the nature and possible cause of your child’s challenges. This will then lead on to recommended management strategies or further referral. You, your child and your developmental paediatrician will now be a team that can work together over time, to set goals, monitor progress and work towards the desired ‘end game’ of your child growing up to be healthy, happy, social, resilient and productive to the best of their potential.

Paediatric Psychology
Paediatric Psychology 

 

Paediatric psychologists have specialised training in the assessment and management of children and adolescents with a range of emotional, social and mental health difficulties. These may include:

  • Anxiety and worries including phobias, obsessive compulsive symptoms, separation anxiety

  • Low mood, sadness, depression

  • Behavioural difficulties such as tantrums, oppositional behaviour

  • Toiletting issues, soiling

  • Sleep difficulties

  • Grief and loss

  • Adjustment to difficult family circumstances e.g. illness, separation/divorce, conflict

  • Difficulties related to Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Reaction to trauma

  • Social difficulties, bullying

 

Our psychologists also collaborate with our paediatricians to assess for Autism Spectrum Disorder where indicated. 

 

Cognitive (intellectual) assessments are also available.

Paediatric Endocrinology

 

Paediatric endocrinology involves the assessment and management of conditions where hormones are involved, including:

  • Concerns about growth e.g. slow growth, short stature, overgrowth, tall stature

  • Thyroid disorders

  • Puberty concerns-early onset of puberty, or delayed puberty

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Assessment of these concerns may involve clinical assessment of the young person in clinic, with charting of height and weight, and physical examination. Following this, further specialised investigations may be needed such as XRays or blood tests, before a diagnosis can be made and management recommended.

Paediatric Endocrinology
Surgery
Paediatric Surgery

 

Paediatric surgeons specialise in the assessment of babies, children and adolescents with a range of conditions, which may require consideration of surgery. Your GP may refer your child to a paediatric surgeon for:

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•  Abdominal pain including suspected appendicitis

•  Undescended testes or other concern involving genitalia

•  Medical circumcision

•  Hernias

•  Lumps or skin lesions

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Our team understands that going to hospital and having an operation can be a stressful event for both child and parents, and will always try to ensure the smoothest possible journey through this experience.

Infant Distress: Crying, Sleeping and Feeding Problems

 

Here at the Melbourne Children’s Clinic we combine research evidence with a patient and compassionate approach to assist families dealing with crying, sleeping and feeding problems. Our paediatricians have trained through the Royal Children’s Hospital and/or Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and most also have first hand experience as parents.

We also have a highly experienced Maternal and Child Health Nurse, who is able to offer in home support, to assist with feeding and settling difficulties of babies and toddlers. Psychology referral may also be helpful for distressed babies or parents, or for separation anxiety.

 

We can help with:

 

  • Infant crying, settling and sleep problems, including in home support if needed

  • Feeding difficulties such as feed refusal, difficulty establishing breast/bottle feeding, milk intolerance

  • Separation difficulties

  • Poor weight gain

  • Weaning/ introduction of solids

Paediatric ENT
Paediatric Gastroenterology

 

Gastroenterology encompasses the digestive system and includes the bowel, pancreas, gall bladder and liver . Paediatric Gastroenterologists manage conditions associated with this organs including:

 

  • Abdominal pain

  • Chronic nausea and vomiting

  • Gastrooesophageal reflux

  • Constipation

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

  • Functional gastrointestinal disorders

  • Coeliac disease

  • Swallowing disorders

  • Eosinophilic oesophagitis 

  • Cow milk protein allergy

  • Chronic diarrhoea

  • Rectal bleeding

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (crown’s Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis)

  • Failure to thrive and feeding difficulties

  • Liver disease

  • Bowel polyps

Paediatric Gastroenterology
Paediatric Respiratory Medicine
Paediatric Respiratory Medicine

 

Paediatric Respiratory medicine involves symptoms and conditions related to the lungs and airways. Respiratory symptoms such as coughing with a cold, and asthma, are commone, and managed by General Practitioners. However, when symptoms are more persistent or severe, not responding to usual treatment, or where the diagnosis is not clear, your GP or paediatrician may refer your child to a Paediatric Respiratory Specialist. Problems may include:

 

  • Breathing difficulties/ shortness of breath 

  • Asthma

  • Persistent cough

  • Snoring/sleep apnea 

  • Recurrent chest infections

  • Noisy breathing such as wheezing or stridor

  • Complex medical conditions with chest/airway problems

Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders

 

The assessment and management of Autism Spectrum Disorders is something we are expert at here at the Melbourne Children’s Clinic.

 

Our developmental/behavioural paediatricians have the clinical experience and training to recognise early signs of ASD in children, who may often initially come to see us with other concerns such as delayed speech or challenging behaviour.

 

We are then able to liaise with allied health professionals here at the Melbourne Children’s Clinic, or in your local area to coordinate the necessary, multidisciplinary assessment.

 

Following the assessment, your paediatrician will meet with you to bring together all the findings, and formulate a management plan, as will as help you through the maze of funding entitlements and advocating for your child’s needs.

 

We will continue to be with you and your child through their developmental journey, assessing and advising as their needs change. 

Infant Distress
Paediatric Dietitians

 

Our paediatric dietitians have university qualifications in nutrition and it’s role in health and disease, with additional qualifications in paediatrics.

 

Our highly experienced dietitians provide feeding and nutritional advice for infants, children and adolescents for a range of concerns that may include general dietary advice or therapeutic and special diets for diseases, intolerances and growth, including but not limited to:

 

  • Faltering growth

  • Introduction of solids

  • Constipation

  • Fussy eating and feeding difficulties (including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder)

  • Gastrointestinal concerns (Coeliac disease, Crohns disease, low FODMAP diets, food intolerances)

  • Diabetes

  • Assessment and education for normal nutrition

  • Concerns with body image and nutrition

  • Vegetarian eating

  • Disordered eating and eating disorders

  • Weight management

 

Our dietitians work in collaboration with paediatricians and other health professionals either from within this clinic or in the community when indicated.

Dietitians
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