PE3.4 | Child Developmental Unit Visit — Summary & Reflection

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A Child Developmental Unit (CDU) is a multidisciplinary outpatient service for comprehensive assessment and management planning of children with developmental delay and neurodevelopmental disorders. The core team includes the developmental paediatrician (team lead), physiotherapist, speech-language therapist, occupational therapist, clinical psychologist (cognitive/ASD testing), special educator, social worker, and audiologist.

Children are referred for GDD, language delay, motor delay, ASD screening, Down syndrome surveillance, and regression. The CDU visit follows a structured 7-step workflow: pre-visit review → parent interview → medical examination → formal developmental assessment (DASII/DDST-II) → therapy assessments → team case conference → family feedback.

CDU output = diagnostic formulation + individualised therapy prescriptions + IEP recommendations + government entitlement navigation (RPWD Act 2016, National Trust Act 1999, RBSK).

As an observer, your tasks are: identify team member roles and tools, observe parent communication, note child spontaneous behaviour (eye contact, joint attention, play), and understand the diagnostic reasoning at case conference.

REFLECT

After your CDU visit, take 10 minutes to write responses to these questions in your portfolio: What was the most surprising thing you observed — something you did not expect based on your classroom learning? What did you observe about how the team communicated with parents during the feedback session — what worked well, and what seemed difficult? If you were the developmental paediatrician leading the team case conference for the child you observed most closely, what would you emphasise in the feedback to the family? What gaps in your own knowledge did the visit reveal, and how will you address them before your paediatrics examination?