Child Development teams are led by Paediatricians working closely with Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. They work with children who may have Health and Developmental problems which could impact on other areas of their lives. This includes children with Special Needs, a Diagnosed Disability, Chronic illness or those who may be falling behind on their Developmental Milestones. The team will assess and review a child’s needs and devise treatment and programs to encourage and support their development.
In RBKC there are two Child Development Services, one situated in the North and the other in the South of the Borough.
Child Development and Neurodisability Service- St Mary’s Hospital and Woodfield road (North RBKC)
The Child Development and Neurodisability Service offers comprehensive multi-disciplinary and multi-agency services for children with neurodisability, communication disorders, and behavioural problems.
The team includes Medical, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Clinical Psychology and Clinical Nurse Specialists. The service also works in partnership with Community and Acute Service Providers.
Services provided by the team include:
- Assessment and management of children with developmental delays.
- Neurodisability services including spasticity management and botulinum toxin injection clinic to relieve muscle spasms.
- Social Communication Disorder clinics (autistic spectrum disorder).
- Behavioural disorder clinic including ADHD.
- Looked after children/adoption.
- Complex feeding clinic.
- Statutory medical examinations and reports.
- Support of local special needs schools.
- Immunization advice.
The Child Development Service and Community Child Health Clinics take place either at St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, or the Medical Centre on Woodfield Road in Westbourne Park.
Children are referred into the service by Health Service Professionals or by multiagency Professionals such as SENCOs, Educational Psychology and Social Workers. For more information contact The Medical Centre directly on Telephone: 020 7266 8777
Cheyne Child Development Service (South RBKC)
The Cheyne Child Development Service consists of the Identification, Assessment, Investigation and support of children with long term Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodisabilities.
They have a multidisciplinary team consisting of Paediatricians, Clinical Psychology, a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Music Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. They also liaise with Primary and Acute Health Care and are networked with a range of Tertiary Care and other Agencies.
The service aims to ensure that an individual child or young person’s Neurodevelopmental needs are established and addressed, that appropriate programs of intervention are made and that their needs are clearly communicated to Families, Carers and the Multiagency Services.
Children supported by this service include those with:
- Physical disability – e.g. cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy;
- Intellectual Disability – Learning Difficulties (Mild, Moderate, Severe and Complex), in relation to investigation of the etiology (the cause or origin of a condition) and support of co-morbidities (other co-existing conditions);
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Language and Communication Disorders.
- Sensory Impairments including Hearing and Vision Impairment;
- Acquired disorders
Children are referred into the service by Health Service Professionals or by Multiagency Professionals such as SENCOs, Educational Psychology and Social Workers. For more information about the service or if you wish to discuss your child’s needs please contact The Cheyne Child Development Service Coordinator Telephone: 020 8846 1606 or 020 8846 6488.