Our Process

Patients are referred to us by physicians, nurse practitioners, therapists and workers. We do not take patients for self-referral. 

Patients are referred to us who live in our catchment area (Brantford, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Six Nations of the Grand River, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation).

What will happen after a child is referred to us?

We will notify the family as well as the referring physician/ agency that we have received the referral.  Please note that our wait time varies dependent on volume, but we strive to ensure that every child is seen in a prompt manner.

Why do we have online questionnaires?

We gather information from parents by online questionnaire because it is faster and easier for everyone. A lot of information is required to understand a child’s situation, and when information is filled out and reviewed beforehand, the visit itself can be more productive.  Asking all these questions in person or on the phone would take much more time, and we appreciate your time as a caregiver.

Information from online questionnaires is also very useful in combination with questions in person (this is we ask about some of the same things in person).  It gives us an overall view and allows us to narrow in on some information that we would like more detail or clarification on.  

Many of our questionnaires generate a score (for example, anxiety or attention difficulty symptoms). When we repeat the same questionnaire after treatment has started, it helps us understand monitor and if treatment is working. 

Who does the patient and family see during the visit?

At the initial appointment, you will see either a pediatrician, or our nurse and a resident pediatrician.  Most patients will have two visits (on separate days) for the initial assessment. If a child saw our nurse and resident pediatrician for the first visit, the second visit will be with one of our pediatricians. 

The follow up appointments could be with a pediatrician, a resident pediatrician, a physician assistant, or any combination of the prior.  We are a small group of clinicians who work closely as a team to attend to all in our clinic, and all patients are followed by the clinician best capable of their care.  

What happens during the visits?

An assessment of the child, a reassessment, or a check-in related to prior visits.  There is a focus on  children’s functioning (speaking, understanding, school, movement skills, emotions and behaviour, attention, etc.) and how this interacts with a child’s world.  The staff member will also talk to parents and children, have physical examination of child, and provide developmental activities (i.e. testing skills to determine abilities including puzzles, reading, math, verbal question and answer, drawing, etc.)

How should we prepare for the visit?

• If child takes medication regularly  (e.g. ADHD medication) you should give your child their medication as usual

• The parent or caregiver who knows the child best should accompany the child

• Bring a support person if you think the child behaviour will make conversation difficult

• Feel free to bring snacks, toys or “rewards” for cooperation as you find works for your child

• Please try to avoid bringing siblings as they can be distracting during the appointment and make it harder to get a good assessment 

• We are happy to give parents as flexible scheduling as we can to avoid coming in during a young child’s nap time or too early in the morning for teenagers.

What can a parent and child get out of the assessment?

• An understanding of your child’s development (ability profile)

• An understanding of why problems related to development may be occurring 

• Recommendations about possible strategies and treatments with the goal of improving your child’s situation, especially for the long term

• If medication is appropriate, we can provide information, prescribing and reassessment

• We provide documentation of the assessment to parents/guardians, including a summary of visit recommendations and plan. We provide letters to parents for use in school.

What if a parent feels the diagnosis is wrong?

Children’s abilities and development can change over time. Often a diagnosis cannot be confirmed in very young children.  For example, autism can be a tricky diagnosis in some young children especially 2-3 years, who may have some social skills but not advance over time, making autism more obvious at age 4-5 years.  Rest assured, treatments can still happen, even without firm diagnosis.  

Sometimes, children’s abilities and symptoms are hard to “see” in a clinic, especially young children. Also, we recognize that no doctor or team is going to be accurate with diagnosis 100% of the time.  If you feel we may have missed something, we always welcome parental concerns. We may offer another assessment, or make a referral to another doctor for another opinion. We recognize that the parent is the expert on their child.

What about follow up visits?