EARLY INTERVENTION - THE PROFESSIONAL VIEWS AND REFERRAL PRACTICES OFPEDIATRICIANS IN VICTORIA

Early intervention services for young children with developmental disa bilities have developed considerably in the past decade, yet little in formation is available about the referral practices and views of Austr alian paediatricians. During 1991, 100 paediatricians in Victoria comp leted a postal questionnaire designed to gain information regarding th eir attitudes to early intervention and referral practices. The result s indicated that paediatricians had a positive view of early intervent ion, and perceived the standard and quality of the services in their r egion as comprehensive (16%) or adequate (54%). They were likely to ma ke prompt referrals in the presence of an established disability (75%) , but with suspected developmental delay, many (45%) were likely to wa it until the delay was confirmed. Referrals were more often made for i ntervention for the child rather than for family support. However, pae diatricians felt that early intervention had a beneficial effect on fa mily functioning (81%). In general, the results indicate that there se em to be few barriers between paediatricians and the early interventio n field.