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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
How is Childhood Epilepsy diagnosed in a child?
Childhood epilepsy is diagnosed by a doctor through a careful history of the events (a home video helps), examination, and tests such as a painless EEG and sometimes an MRI. It is usually considered after two or more unprovoked seizures. Any suspected seizure needs prompt medical attention — this is a physician-led diagnosis, not therapy-first.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Childhood Epilepsy medically managed in a child?
Childhood epilepsy is managed by a paediatric neurologist, beginning with accurate diagnosis of the seizure type using EEG and sometimes brain imaging, then anti-seizure medication tailored to the child and reviewed as they grow. Most children become seizure-free or well controlled, with options such as a ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation or surgery if needed. Therapy supports development around epilepsy but never replaces seizure care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Childhood Sleep Difficulties diagnosed in a child?
Childhood sleep difficulties are diagnosed through a careful clinical history, a 1–2 week sleep diary and assessment of daytime behaviour — not a single test. Most are behavioural and treatable; medical causes such as breathing pauses prompt onward referral. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow childhood sleep difficulties are managed in a child
Childhood sleep difficulties are managed first by a medical check to rule out causes like sleep apnoea, reflux or pain, then through consistent routines, a calming wind-down, a sleep-friendly environment and gentle behavioural strategies. Medication is rarely first-line and only ever considered by a doctor for specific situations. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder Diagnosed in a Child?
Conduct-Dissocial Disorder is diagnosed only by a qualified clinician through a structured assessment that gathers history from parents, teachers and the child over time, looking for a repetitive, persistent pattern of rule- or rights-violating behaviour across settings — never from a single incident or checklist. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder medically managed in a child?
Conduct-Dissocial Disorder in a child is managed primarily through psychological and behavioural support — parent-management training, family work, child skills-building and school collaboration — not medication first. Medicine is only ever considered by a doctor for specific co-occurring conditions such as ADHD or for severe aggression. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Developmental Coordination Disorder diagnosed in a child?
DCD is diagnosed by a qualified clinician — usually from age 5 — using developmental history, a standardised motor assessment, evidence of real impact on daily life, and ruling out other conditions. It is a clinical judgement from many sources, never a single test, and at Pinnacle it is established only at a centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerHow Developmental Language Disorder Is Diagnosed in a Child
DLD is diagnosed through a structured, clinician-led assessment — usually by a speech and language therapist — combining a hearing check, standardised receptive and expressive language testing, observation, and parent/teacher reports, while ruling out other causes. There is no single test; a clinical AbilityScore and diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is Developmental Regression Diagnosed in a Child?
Developmental regression is diagnosed through a careful developmental history, confirmation that skills were truly present and lost, a structured clinician-led developmental assessment, and medical evaluation for an underlying cause. Any clear loss of skills warrants prompt clinical attention. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Developmental Trauma diagnosed in a child?
Developmental trauma is not diagnosed by a single test or label. A qualified clinician builds a careful picture from your child's history, relationships, and how they regulate emotions, attention and the body across settings — using structured developmental and emotional assessment to understand the why behind behaviour and plan support.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Down syndrome diagnosed in a child?
Down syndrome is confirmed by a genetic karyotype (chromosome) blood test. A paediatrician may first suspect it from physical features and low muscle tone at birth, and pregnancy screening can flag likelihood — but only the chromosome test is definitive. A clinical AbilityScore and developmental plan are formed only at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerHow Dyscalculia Is Diagnosed in a Child
Dyscalculia is diagnosed through a multi-step assessment from around age 7-8 — combining learning history, standardised maths testing, a cognitive check and ruling out other causes — by a qualified clinician or educational psychologist. It is never a single test, and Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is Dysgraphia Diagnosed in a Child?
Dysgraphia is identified through a multi-step clinician evaluation — never one test. It examines handwriting and fine-motor skills, visual-motor integration, written expression versus spoken ability, and rules out vision, hearing and other causes. Formal evaluation is most meaningful from around age 6–8, once a child has had real classroom writing instruction.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is Dyslexia Diagnosed in a Child?
Dyslexia is diagnosed through a structured, multi-step clinician assessment — history, ruling out hearing and vision issues, and testing reading, spelling, fluency and underlying sound-processing skills — usually from around age 6–8 once formal reading instruction has begun. It is recognised as an unexpected reading difficulty despite sound teaching and otherwise age-typical ability.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties diagnosed in a child?
There is no single test for emotional and behavioural difficulties. A qualified clinician builds the picture through history, observation across settings, structured questionnaires, and ruling out other causes such as hearing, language or developmental differences. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Feeding & Eating Difficulties Are Diagnosed in a Child
Feeding and eating difficulties are diagnosed through a clinician-led assessment that reviews feeding history, growth, oral-motor and swallowing skills, medical causes, sensory responses and nutrition — often including a mealtime observation. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is FASD Diagnosed in a Child?
FASD is diagnosed by an experienced clinical team — never one test — by bringing together any known prenatal alcohol exposure, growth and physical features, brain-based functioning, and how the child learns, moves, communicates and copes day to day. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. under qualified clinicians.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Fine Motor Delay diagnosed in a child?
Fine motor delay is diagnosed by a qualified clinician through a structured developmental assessment — combining your child's history, direct play-based observation of how they grasp and use objects, and comparison with age-typical milestones, while ruling out vision, tone or wider developmental factors. There is no single test; Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is a genetic or chromosomal syndrome diagnosed in a child?
Genetic and chromosomal syndromes are diagnosed by a paediatrician or clinical geneticist who combines history, physical examination and chosen genetic tests — such as chromosomal microarray, karyotype, targeted gene panels or exome sequencing. There is no single universal test; investigation fits the clinical picture, and genetic counselling explains results. Diagnosis opens the door to the right early support.
Read the answer AnswerHow Global Developmental Delay Is Diagnosed
Global Developmental Delay is identified when a child under 5 is significantly behind in two or more developmental areas. Diagnosis comes from developmental history, structured clinician-administered assessment, hearing and vision checks, and medical review — not a single checklist. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Gross Motor Delay diagnosed in a child?
Gross motor delay is identified through developmental history, hands-on observation of movement, validated screening tools and a structured clinician assessment by a physiotherapist or paediatrician. It is never decided from one missed milestone. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Hearing Impairment Is Diagnosed in a Child
Hearing impairment in a child is diagnosed with painless, objective tests: newborn screening (OAE and AABR/ABR) at birth, and age-appropriate behavioural hearing tests plus tympanometry for older children. An audiologist confirms the type and degree of loss so support can start early. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow Is Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone) Diagnosed in a Child?
Hypotonia in a child is diagnosed through careful history, hands-on examination of posture, reflexes and movement against gravity, and a developmental review — not a single test. Clinicians work out the source and impact of the low tone, with targeted referrals where needed. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow is Intellectual Disability diagnosed in a child?
Intellectual Disability is diagnosed by a qualified clinician who assesses both cognitive ability (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive functioning (everyday communication, self-care, social skills) against age expectations, using structured tools and developmental history — never a single test. In young children, clinicians are often cautious, using 'global developmental delay' first. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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