FOI 24/25-2169 DOCUMENT 28
Factsheet - Evidence of developmental delay (for children younger than 6)
This factsheet explains how an early childhood partner will gather information about your child, on the evidence of developmental delay (form), and how this information will be used to better understand your child’s support needs.
What is the evidence of developmental delay form?
It is a form that is used to record information gathered by an early childhood partner when there are concerns about delays in the development of a child younger than 6 (who do not have evidence of permanent impairment).
When is the form used?
If you have concerns about your child’s development and your child has been referred to an early childhood partner, your partner will discuss your child’s development with you and complete the form.
What will the information gathered in the form be used for?
Your early childhood partner will use the form to describe your child’s functioning and make recommendations about the best type of supports for your child. They will use the information gathered in the form to assist with next steps.
How will an early childhood partner know what supports my child needs?
Early childhood partners are teams of early childhood professionals, such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists or early childhood educators. They use observations and assessments to find out how your child does everyday things so they can learn more about your child’s development. This helps to work out the best types of support for your child.
Observations involve your early childhood partner watching your child in places where they spend lots of time, such as your home, at the park or at their childcare
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centre. This helps to show what your child is good at, what they like to do and the areas where they may need extra help.
Assessments are questionnaires about your child’s development. Assessments help to show where your child’s development may be different from other children of the same age. Your early childhood partner will choose the assessments. You can choose where your early childhood partner does these assessments with you and your child, such as at your home or at childcare.
What will my early childhood partner write in the form?
Your early childhood partner will write about the impairment(s) your child may be experiencing. This is because having an impairment is listed in the definition of developmental delay in the NDIS Act 2013.
Your early childhood partner will also write about four areas of your child’s development: self-care, receptive and expressive language, cognitive development and motor development. This is because these are the four areas of development listed in the definition of developmental delay in the NDIS Act 2013.
Your child’s developmental information will be written in a positive way, which means writing about what your child can do, what they like to do and what they’re good at. This helps to show the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) what your child’s development looks like.
In the form there are summary statements under each of the areas of development. Your early childhood partner will consider your child’s development compared to other children of the same age:
• A substantial reduction in their functional capacity means that your child needs lots of extra help to do everyday things. • A delay that is not considered substantial in their functional capacity means that your child needs a little bit of help to do everyday things. • Functioning at the level expected for their age means that your child still needs help from you, but their development is the same as other children their age.
Do I need more information about my child from other professionals?
Additional information from other professionals who know your child can be helpful if available. Input from individuals who know your child well such as paediatrician, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or early childhood educator, can provide valuable insights.
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What are the next steps?
Your early childhood partner will use the information gathered in this form to recommend the right supports for your child.
This may include:
• Connections with mainstream and community services • Connections to practical information that’s relevant to your child’s development • Connections with other families • Connections with early supports • Connections to apply to the NDIS
If your child is recommended to apply to the NDIS, the information gathered in the form will be used as supporting evidence that your child is likely to meet all the NDIS developmental delay definition requirements (see section 9 of the NDIS Act 2013 and Operational Guidelines - Applying to the NDIS - Early intervention requirements). If your child becomes an NDIS participant, an early childhood planner will use all information collected by your early childhood partner to develop an NDIS plan.
For more information:
You can find more information about how the NDIS describes developmental delay in our Operational Guidelines - Applying to the NDIS - What about children younger than 6 with developmental delay?
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