Developmental Medicine

Personalised care of children with medical complexity and their families:

Dr Doug Bryan is a paediatrician who has worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital since 1970. During those 48 years the prognosis and life prospects for children with chronic and complex medical conditions have improved dramatically. This has occurred partly from the discovery of new interventions but also in large part to the development of systems of care that specifically focus on the care and needs of these children and their families.

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Genetics of intellectual disability and autism: past, present and future

It is now recognized that genetic factors are the major cause of intellectual disability and autism. This presentation will provide an overview of recent advances in our understanding of these genetic factors and the application of new genetic testing technologies to provide an answers for individual families.

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Down syndrome: What the paediatrician needs to know

Health care recommendations for children with Down syndrome have undergone several significant changes in recent years and it is important for providers to be aware of the current guidelines. Patient examples illustrating some of the critical issues will be used in the presentation and time for general questions will be provided

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Cerebral palsy – a changing landscape 2015 and beyond

The WHO’s International Classification of Functioning (ICF) was published in 2001. Advocates in the field of developmental disability have been promoting its use as an integrated and strengths-based approach to our thinking, actions, and research. Building on the ICF framework, colleagues at CanChild Centre in Canada published a tongue-in-cheek paper entitled “The F-words in Childhood Disability: I swear this is how we should think”.

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Successful school experiences for Victorian students with cerebral palsy

School participation is vital for children with disabilities. We will describe the current situation for students with a disability who attend their local school in Victoria. Background and challenges that students, families and schools currently experience will be discussed. Findings from research that involved a study of students, teachers, parents, principals and allied health professionals will be presented to highlight supports, services, and strategies that enabled students with cerebral palsy to experience success at school.

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Connecting care for complex patients and their families

Providing care for children with chronic and complex conditions is challenging. The clinical decision making is complicated and providing best care often means trying to join up services that have no natural connections in the current system, both within and outside RCH. We know our best attempts currently fall short of the needs of children … Continued

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Avoiding Conflict of Interest in Medicine

Dr Catherine D DeAngelis is Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, Professor Emerita at the Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine (Pediatrics) and School of Public Health (Health Policy and Management), and Editor-in-Chief Emerita of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association (2000-2011), serving as the first woman Editor in Chief.

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Responding in a medical context to the effects of family violence on children

There is growing evidence of the health effects caused by family violence ranging from fatal (homicide, suicide, maternal mortality) to non-fatal (physical health, mental health, chronic conditions, reproductive health issues, and negative health behaviours). Negative impacts of family violence on children are wide ranging and profound.

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