Aim This study investigated the impact of a transdisciplinary advanced allied health practitioner (AAHP) in a public hospital general paediatric outpatient department for children referred for concerns with neurodevelopment, learning and/or behaviour. It was hypothesised that time from referral to initial consultation and diagnosis was reduced for children initially assessed by AAHP. It was also hypothesised that children seen by AAHP were less likely to require a medical specialist appointment. Methods De‐identifiable data were gathered from hospital records both retrospectively and prospectively for each group. Data were collected from: 75 children who attended a medical consultation only clinic in 2014; 75 children who attended an AAHP clinic and a medical officer in 2014 and 75 children who attended an AAHP clinic and a medical officer 2 years after establishment in 2016/2017. Results On average, 52% children were managed independently by the AAHP. Wait time from referral to consultation significantly decreased from 169 days to 48 days. Similarly, time from referral to diagnosis significantly reduced by almost a half, from 57.2 to 30.59 weeks. Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence that utilisation of transdisciplinary AAHPs in general paediatric outpatient departments may reduce waitlists, reduce amount of medical specialist appointments required and provide earlier diagnosis for children with neurodevelopmental, behavioural and/or learning difficulties.

Aim: This study aimed to identify early clinical biomarkers from birth to 16 weeks corrected age to predict typical outcome and developmental delay in infants born very preterm or with very low birthweight. Method:A prospective cohort of infants on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, was assessed using the Premie-Neuro Examination, the General Movement Assessment (GMA), the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, and the Infant Sensory Profile 2. At 24 months corrected age, delay was identified using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) and Neurosensory Motor Developmental Assessment (NSMDA).Results: One hundred and four infants were recruited; 79 completed outcome assessments (43 females, 36 males; mean gestational age 30 weeks [SD 1 week 6 days], mean birthweight 1346 g [SD 323]). The incidence of developmental delay (motor or cognitive) was 6.3%. Suboptimal quality of fidgety general movements (temporal organization) at 16 weeks corrected age demonstrated the best predictive accuracy