The Challenge
Child development assessment is time- and resource-intensive for children, families and services. For publicly funded developmental assessment units, growing demand has led to wait times exceeding two years.
Impact Snapshot
Embedding Digital Tools for Neurodevelopmental Assessment of Children
Project Location(s): Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN)
Project Lead(s): Dr Kelsie Boulton (The University of Sydney), Associate Professor Antoinette Hodge, (SCHN)
This project developed and tested automated scoring and feedback tools for use within child developmental assessment services. The project examined whether these tools were acceptable and useful to clinicians, could be integrated into routine practice, and could reduce the time required to score and interpret assessment information.
The Approach
Over 2023 to 2025, the team developed and tested an automated scoring prototype and personalised digital feedback tools to support families waiting for neurodevelopmental assessment at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. The tools utilised data collected from the Australian Child Neurodevelopmental Registry, used to track characteristics and needs of children and families presenting for developmental assessment, which was first implemented at the University of Sydney and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network in 2019.
Sydney Health Partners (SHP) Support
Clinical Academic Group (CAG)
- SHP’s Child Development and Mental Health CAG identified the project as a priority in 2022 and supported it through co-design and implementation workshops.
Training
- Dr Boulton graduated from the Implementation Science Academy Masterclass in 2023.
- A/Prof. Hodge attended the Consumers in Health Research: the Practicalities Workshop in 2025.
Pilot Grant
- A $20,000 Implementation Science Pilot Grant was awarded in 2023.
Impact as of 2026
- Automated scoring and clinician feedback tools are now embedded within routine developmental assessment workflows at the Child Development Unit, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, replacing manual scoring processes for key assessments and supporting a shift from paper-based to technology-enabled assessment.
- Automated scoring has been used for more than 1,380 patient assessments, saving at least 691 hours of clinician time (86 working days). The project has subsequently expanded automation to additional assessment measures, with the broader suite of tools estimated to save approximately 1–1.5 hours of scoring and report-preparation time per patient.
- Following successful implementation and sustained use within the original service, the approach was implemented in a second developmental assessment service in July 2026.
- Findings and infrastructure developed through the pilot have supported an expanding program of work involving health services, researchers, consumers and technology partners. This work is now being extended through additional external investment, including a $2,999,738 MRFF National Critical Infrastructure Grant 2026-31 supporting further development and implementation of digital approaches to needs-based, family-centered developmental assessment.
Recognition
Dr Boulton was awarded the Sydney Health Partners Annual Award for Researcher–Health Professional Collaboration ($2,000) in 2025.
Key Publication
Boulton, K.A., Hodge, A., Levu, K., Ong, N., Silove, N., & Guastella, A.J. (2024). Access and barriers to supports for children and caregivers attending public child developmental assessment services: Findings from the Sydney Child Neurodevelopment Research Registry. Autism Research, 17(3), 555-567. doi: 10.1002/aur.3064
Clinical Academic Group
Child Development and Mental Health
Partners
The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney
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