ABOUT Canberra development clinic (cDC)
Our storyDr Manina Pathak opened the Canberra Development Clinic in July 2019 as a dedicated developmental-behavioural paediatric clinic to look after the needs of children and families. Originally, we were placed in Garran, however with increasing demand and expanding team, we moved to our new Deakin rooms in 2021. We now have 11 providers including medical doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologist and a family coach. CDC is the 1st multidisciplinary clinic in Canberra dedicated to developmental paediatrics. We are supported by 5 administrative staff including our practice manager. At CDC, we value our passion in providing high quality clinical service and patient satisfaction. We offer a wide range of services including one on one therapy (where books are open) and ADHD, ASD and Learning Assessments. Please see our team below, what services we offer and current wait times. *Please note our Paediatricians currently have their books closed due to extended wait times for initial appointments. Watch this space to see when we reopen our books **As of 1 May 2023 we are no longer accepting cash payments. Services can be paid for via Eftpos or direct deposit Paediatricians: CDC Director - Dr Manina Pathak - Full Time - Books Closed Dr Katie Morgan - Part Time - Books Closed
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist: Dr Anuradha Thirupathy - Part Time - Book Open Current Wait Time: 10 - 12 months Taking on patients aged 10 - 25 Years
Psychologists Nicholas Catto - Full Time - Wait Listing for New Patients Therapy and ADHD + Learning Assessments Current Wait Time for Assessments: 1 month Nicholas is currently at capacity for ongoing therapy but does have a waitlist. Pleaser contact us to find out more information.
Peter Bland - Part Time - Books Open Learning Assessments Only Current Wait Time: immediate
Melissa Hogan - Full Time - Books Open Provisional Psychologist Melissa is currently unable to offer one on one therapy but is available for assessments. Please contact us to discuss further. ASD, ADHD and Learning Assessments Current Wait Time for Assessments: 1 - 2 months
Jorja Zollinger - Part Time - Books Closed Current Wait Time for Assessments: 1 - 2 months Clinical Psychologist
Speech Therapy Vicky Scipione - Part Time - Books Open Speech Therapy Assessments and Ongoing Therapy Vicky is currently at capacity for new patients but has a waitlist. Please enquire within about the process of being added to this list.
Occupational Therapy Rose Maskill - Part Time - Books Open Ongoing Therapy Rose is currently full for therapy, she does have an extensive waitlist. Please enquire within about getting on her waitlist.
Cate Hilly - Part Time - Books Open FASD, DCD and Play / Developmental Assessments Cate only performs assessments, she does not provide ongoing therapy. Please enquire about her assessments and availability Current Wait Time: 1 month
Family Coaching Charlene Lalor - Part Time - Books Open Child and Family Coach Provides education coaching services for families Current Wait Time: 6 months
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Services cdc offer
- Comprehensive developmental assessment
- Diagnosis and management of ADHD
- Diagnosis and management of Autism spectrum disorders
- Diagnosis and management of developmental delays
- Childhood Behavioural difficulties (e.g. conduct disorder)
- Management of Childhood anxiety and mood disorders
- Management of psychotic disorders, personality disorders, neuro-developmental disorders and management of Eating Disorders in children and adolescents.
- Diagnosis and management of learning difficulties
- Speech Pathology assessment and therapy
- Occupational Therapy assessment and therapy
- Full Learning, ADHD and Psychoeducational assessments completed by psychologists
- Psychology Therapy services
- Family Coaching services
Our team members work in liaison with other allied health professionals, psychologists and schools across Canberra to provide a holistic approach to best support your child’s difficulties.
Our aim is to support and guide parents in the developmental journey of their children to achieve the best development and mental health outcomes as they become adults. The methods to achieve that include medical treatment, diagnosis and advocacy with specific recommendations regarding evidence based management of the problem.
Patient Resources
ASD
| ASD is a neuro-developmental disability thought to have neurological or genetic causes . However, the cause is not yet fully understood and there is no cure. A person on the autism spectrum has difficulties in some areas of their development, but other skills may develop typically. ASD affects around 1 in 68 people of school age, with males being around four times more likely to be affected than females.
There is no single test for ASD diagnosis. ASD in children is diagnosed through observation by a multidisciplinary team or the following health professionals:
Early intervention has been shown to improve outcomes for children on the autism spectrum.
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ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
| ADHD is a 'neurodevelopmental' disorder, which is a disorder of brain function. With understanding, care and medical treatment ADHD can be successfully managed. Children with ADHD experience the following difficulties:
Diagnosing ADHD ADHD is not straightforward to diagnose. A paediatrician, child psychologist or child psychiatrist can make the assessment . Diagnosis of ADHD can be made only after making a detailed assessment – there is no single test. A range of information, especially from parents and the child's school need to be collected. The symptoms of ADHD must be obvious in most areas of the child’s life. The assessment can include a developmental history of the child’s past behaviours, history of trauma or illness, relationships and family. A variety of standardised and validated tools, scales and criteria may be used when diagnosing ADHD. Management: There are a number of ways to help reduce your child's ADHD symptoms. These include:
Parents of children with ADHD may find that they benefit from:
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