What To Expect

Please use the online calendar or phone me for appointments.

I am happy to accept self-referrals as well as referrals from other health professionals. I will carefully determine the suitability of self-referrals after you send an inquiry on the website. I encourage a GP referral as this will help me understand what is required and may also help reduce consultation time.

Once this referral or inquiry is received, I can assess if I am the right person to see your child. Where I feel an alternative specialist would be more appropriate, I will suggest a referral to the appropriate clinician. It is important to keep working with your GP, as he or she has a long-term relationship with your whole family.

Before the consultation

• Write down the questions you wish to ask so you do not forget any.
• Make a list of medications that your child is taking. 
• It may help to have your child’s well-child/Plunkett book, reports or clinic letters from other doctors and health professionals, as well as results of any relevant medical tests such as blood and other pathology results and reports of medical imaging (x-ray, ultrasound, MRI or CT scans) done overseas or in private practice.
• Complete and return any questionnaires that I may have sent you.
• Prepare your child by telling them about the appointment in simple terms. For example, "we will be speaking to the doctor to see how she can help you/us".

For the appointment

• Find a quiet area in your home where there is a strong internet connection and where you are not likely to be interrupted.
• Test the microphone and speakers on your device. 
• For a video consult, you will receive a link that will automatically send you to a virtual waiting room.
• For a phone consult, I will call you on the number provided.

During our meeting

• I will ask you some questions aimed at obtaining more  detailed information about your child’s symptoms in order to assess potential diagnoses. 
• I will offer diagnostic advice, and recommend suitable management options, as well as recommendations for future treatment and follow up.
• It is ideal to have your child present during the appointment so I can meet them. As part of the assessment, I may ask them some questions. Please allow your child to answer (even if they are shy) as this provides me with additional information about them and involves them in the discussion.
• Even small children can participate. Have toys/activities close by so they can occupy themselves if needed. 
•  

I will send a report summarising the consultation to you and your GP or another health provider. This will state if a follow-up appointment is required to discuss any results or reports to be made.

I work Monday-Friday from 09:00am to 5:00 pm. To accommodate working parents or children who need to limit time off from school, I have some appointments available on Saturday. You can book online or call reception.

Follow up appointments can be short, medium or longer, depending on the complexity of your concerns and the time required to work through them.

Short follow up appointments are 15 minutes long, and they can include:

• Renewal of special authority number
• New prescriptions
• Phone/email of results

Medium follow up appointments are 30-40 minutes long and can include:

• Discussion of reports and results
• Creation and discussion of action plans
• Follow up of medical intervention plan
• Feedback of assessment outcomes, including an opportunity for questioning and clarification.
• Recommendations for intervention and follow up.
• Revision of management plan(s).

I believe in spending enough time to fully discuss and address all of your concerns. For this reason, standard initial paediatric consultations are 60 minutes long. Initial neonatal consultations can be 30-40 minutes.

Long follow up appointments are 40 minutes and usually relate to multiple issues and/or the need for an interpreter.

Complex / long appointments are charged separately based on the time required. Fees reflect the extra time required to obtain information from other sources, administering, scoring and reporting assessments. These appointments can include:

• Developmental assessments including assessments for developmental delays in under 5’s, attention deficit and hyperactivity ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorder ASD, or to assess multiple issues.

• Autism Distinguishing autism from other developmental disorders can be challenging. It is therefore important to take a holistic approach in understanding your child and the challenges that they face. As a result, assessments for autism can be time-consuming.

• Standard autism assessment: This will require an initial appointment to discuss your concerns and decide which assessment(s) is/are appropriate, and discuss the process in detail with you. I may have to obtain reports from other specialists to inform the assessments, such as from speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, or other specialists.
  In some cases, a diagnosis can be made at the initial appointment. Where the diagnosis is not so clear cut, a formal assessment will be required. This will include:

1. A developmental assessment to identify developmental difficulties that can contribute to the presentation and strengths that can help guide interventions.
2. Validated Rating Scales. I am trained to use validated diagnostic instruments in the comprehensive assessment of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The tools I use are:  The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (mCHAT), Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS), Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
   The ADI-R is a semi-structured  interview consisting of up to 90 questions. The total cost for administration and report generation is NZ$800.
   ADOS is the gold standard for the observational assessment of autism spectrum disorders and needs to done be face to face.
   

   Long follow up appointments are 40 minutes and usually relate to multiple issues and/or the need for an interpreter.

   Complex / long appointments are charged separately based on the time required. Fees reflect the extra time required to obtain information from other sources, administering, scoring and reporting assessments. These appointments can include:

   • Developmental assessments including assessments for developmental delays in under 5’s, attention deficit and hyperactivity ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorder ASD, or to assess multiple issues.

   • Autism Distinguishing autism from other developmental disorders can be challenging. It is therefore important to take a holistic approach in understanding your child and the challenges that they face. As a result, assessments for autism can be time-consuming.

   • Standard autism assessment: This will require an initial appointment to discuss your concerns and decide which assessment(s) is/are appropriate, and discuss the process in detail with you. I may have to obtain reports from other specialists to inform the assessments, such as from speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, or other specialists.
     In some cases, a diagnosis can be made at the initial appointment. Where the diagnosis is not so clear cut, a formal assessment will be required. This will include a developmental assessment to identify developmental difficulties that can contribute to the presentation and strengths that can help guide interventions.
     I am trained to use validated diagnostic instruments in the comprehensive assessment of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The tools I use are The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (mCHAT), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
     The ADI-R is a semi-structured face to face interview consisting of up to 90 questions. The total cost for administration and report generation is NZ$800.
     ADOS is the gold standard for the observational assessment of autism spectrum disorders and needs to be face to face. I will help you find a suitable practitioner who can carry this out.
     
   • In some cases, a diagnosis can be made at the initial appointment. Where the diagnosis is not so clear cut, a formal assessment will be required. This will include a developmental assessment to identify developmental difficulties that can contribute to the presentation and strengths that can help guide interventions.
   • I am trained to use validated diagnostic instruments in the comprehensive assessment of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The tools I use are The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (mCHAT), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
   • The ADI-R is a semi-structured face to face interview consisting of up to 90 questions. The total cost for administration and report generation is NZ$800.
   • ADOS is the gold standard for the observational assessment of autism spectrum disorders. Autism Diagnostic Observation Scales ADOS can take approximately 90 minutes to administer, mark and report. The total cost for this is NZ$900.
   • Total ADI-R and ADOS NZ$1700.

Kidzdoctor has started offering some face to face appointments alongside telehealth appointments. These appointments are only available in Auckland.  Please contact me for more information.