Cat 1 · 30 days
appointment within 30 calendar days. - No category 1 criteria
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Child Development Services · Refer Your Patient
Transitions and Routines including Self-Care and Sensory
Copied from the official Gold Coast Health condition page (27 Aug 2026). Hospital triage assigns the official category. Live source: Refer Your Patient — Transitions and Routines including Self-Care and Sensory.
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Cat 2 · 90 days
appointment within 90 calendar days. - Significant distress from child when performing self-care activities or accessing community (e.g., shopping centres) that appears to be sensory related, where other strategies have been trialled, and is not related to generalised anxiety or fears, or broader behavioural issues - Child who is at risk of significant constipation which is related to developmental difficulties
Cat 3 · 365 days
appointment within 365 calendar days. Recommended to be seen within 90 - 180 calendar days - Child with challenges with participating in a particular routine or transition during the day, including maintaining seated at mealtimes, sleep settling, dressing, accessing the community (e.g., car-rides, shopping centres). - For mealtime referrals: If participation is related to intake (i.e., volume and variety of food) this referral should be considered under ‘mealtimes’ clinic, not OT single stream transitions and routines. - For sleep referrals: Sleep issues that continue to be unresolved after primary health intervention, and paediatrician input, and may be related to developmental challenges (primarily sensory or motor). - For toileting referrals: Inclusion is children who are accessing CDS for developmental difficulties (e.g., 4-year-old who is not toilet trained by day, associated with developmental delay such as motor, language, sensory related issues). - For sensory: Reported difficulties appear to be sensory related and impacting on the child’s ability to participate in an age appropriate activity, but child is not described as being in ‘significant distress’, but rather mild, or moderate distress.
Essential referral information
Referral will be returned without this. If a mandatory test cannot be obtained, say so in the referral.
- Description of the challenges within these tasks/activities (i.e., rather than simply saying ‘difficulties with (toileting/sleep/dressing) describe the difficulties) - Absence or presence of anxiety and/or diagnoses such as ASD etc. - For toileting referrals: - Evidence of a General Practitioner (GP) plan is required for referrals for constipation - Information on whether the child has encopresis is required. - For sensory based referrals, please provide information on whether the difficulties appear to be part of a broader issue with anxiety, or possible ASD, as those referrals may be recommended to be seen by an alternate care pathway
Out of scope / wrong door
The following conditions are out of scope for this service: - Children who require developmental monitoring/surveillance (in the absence of developmental delay) should be referred to GP or Child Health Nurse. - Educational assessment of school age children - Services that should be initially provided by primary care or community based allied health care for children, including well infant care and advice, parenting and behaviour management for young children, developmental services for children with mild developmental delay - Health screening assessments including on entry to foster care - Acute paediatric concerns - Developmental Allied Health intervention services will not be provided for Children who are eligible for Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) / National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) For children who are non-Australian citizens but still meet clinical criteria for an underlying disability as defined by ECEI/NDIS, CDS Gold Coast is unable to provide long term allied health intervention services. - Allied health developmental intervention services are not provided for children who are school-age (prep to year 12)
Parent service: Child Development Services
Send outpatient referrals to
- Smart Referrals preferred (Best Practice or Medical Director)
- Medical Objects GQ42150009Z (lookup qh → QHEALTH, GOLD COAST HEALTH OUTPATIENT)
- HealthLink EDI Qldgchsd
- Fax (07) 5687 4497 — Booking and Referral Centre
- Post: Booking and Referral Centre, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport QLD 4215
- Clinic enquiries 1300 559 083
HealthPathways
Sign in for localised assessment and management. HealthPathways does not send the referral. Register: gchealthpathways@health.qld.gov.au