A lack of developmental paediatricians to meet WA’s demand for services for children with developmental learning or behavour problems is leaving families feeling helpless.

Perth mum of two Katrina Scorer was referred to the WA Government’s Child Development Service for her son, following concerns raised by his school that he displayed signs of ADHD and Autism.  

She was told the waitlist for a developmental paediatrician was more than three years. When Mrs Scorer decided to find a paediatrician privately, she still faced a six-month waitlist.  

Mrs Scorer said: “There was a lack of understanding around what it’s like to parent a child who’s neurodivergent. I felt a lot of judgement, even in the education system, around his behaviour as if it was my fault.”

In April, the State Government announced $39 million in funding for Child Development Services in its 2024-25 Budget. This investment was spread across all child development services, including occupational therapy, speech pathology, and developmental paediatrics.

An article in Opposition Media  (published by the Opposition Alliance led by Nationals leader Shane Love) earlier this year criticised Early Childhood Education Minister Donna Faragher because there were up to 10,000 children waiting for a paediatric appointment through the Metropolitan Child Development Service, and median wait time was three-and-a-half years.

These wait times have put also pressure on private practitioners as desperate families turn to the private sector for support.

A private developmental paediatrician, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “At one point you want to try and help the families but you have limited resources considering the wait list times and these difficulties are mounting causing a lot of pressure for existing services.”

This doctor, who has been practicing more than five years, recently started at a new location. Since moving there, the waitlist has grown from about six weeks for an appointment, to nearly six months due to the high demand.

“The main thing the Government can do is increase the funding, increase the amount of resource and support services, and access to these services should be made easier for the families,” they said.

This doctor is one of many paediatricians who are stuck with extended wait-times for appointments.

“The field of developmental paediatrics is not very stress-free, so not many people want to work the whole week, or they would like to have their hours limited to handle the pressure of the increasing workload,” they said.