Associate Professor Jill Sewell reflects on a career spanning five decades in community and developmental paediatrics, highlighting the importance of holistic, strengths-based care, sitting with uncertainty, and understanding children within the context of family and community. She emphasises that rising childhood anxiety, social pressures, and over-pathologising neurodiversity require a shift toward earlier support, stronger advocacy, and more thoughtful, long-term developmental care. 

In this ASDP podcast episode, Dr David Chinn joins Dr James Carter to explore the complexities of managing anxiety in neurodivergent children, particularly those with autism and ADHD, highlighting the limited evidence for SSRIs in autism and the importance of careful assessment, tailored pharmacotherapy, and non-medication supports. The conversation also touches on ADHD prescribing reform in New Zealand and the importance of strength-based, person-centred care that builds long-term wellbeing and self-efficacy for children and families.

In this episode, Dr Sam Kaiser, Chair of the Advocacy Committee speaks with child and adolescent psychiatrists Dr Solomon Shatanunda and Dr Harini Sundaravadanam during the 2024 Annual Conference (Gold Coast), exploring the complexities of prescribing medication for children with intellectual disabilities, developmental trauma, and complex behaviours. 

The discussion focuses on the risks of polypharmacy, emphasising the importance of comprehensive assessment, trauma-informed care, and non-pharmacological interventions such as behavioural support, caregiver education, routine and social prescribing. 

At the ASDP 2025 Conference in Queenstown, author and advocate Rachel Callander joined Dr Angela Owens and Dr Michael Parry for a powerful discussion on the impact of language in healthcare, highlighting how medical terminology can unintentionally cause harm and advocating for more compassionate, strengths-based communication with families. Rachel  shares practical strategies for improving clinician/family partnerships, including reducing confusing medical jargon, reframing deficit-focused language, and introducing "awesomeness lists" to celebrate children's individuality, strengths and humanity alongside their challenges. 

In this powerful ASDP Podcast episode, lifelong educator Keri Opai joins Dr James Carter to explore how language shapes identity, wellbeing, and the way we understand autism and mental health. 

Drawing on Māori perspectives and his internationally recognised term Takiwātanga ("in their own time and space"), Keri challenges deficit-based narratives and highlights the profound impacts words have on children, families, and communities 

This conversation focuses on prescribing medications for children with complex developmental and mental health issues, covering topics like antihistamines, melatonin, CBD oil, and medications for anxiety, tics, and sleep disorders. Experts discussed concerns about long-term medication use, the role of alternative treatments, and the importance of careful documentation and reassessment in prescribing.

A conversation with Professor Diane Shanley, a clinical psychologist and an expert in implementation science. Interviewed by Dr Brad Jongeling at the 2024 Annual Conference, Gold Coast.

Professor Dianne Shanley explains the Tracking Cube, a co-designed, tool-agnostic framework that breaks down neurodevelopmental assessment into six structured tiers to improve early identification and support for children, especially in remote and Indigenous communities. Developed with community input, it enables non-specialists to conduct much of the assessment using tools like the Rapid Neurodevelopmental Assessment (RNDA), helping to triage more effectively and start support early while awaiting specialist input. The system has shown promising results in improving referral accuracy without overwhelming services and is now being trialed in other regions through an NHMRC-funded stepped-wedge RCT to evaluate its broader national potential.

This episode discusses a pharmacist-led program at the Gold Coast Hospital that supports paediatricians in managing ADHD medication. This initiative, which began as a pilot in 2018 has grown significantly, alleviating pressure on paediatricians by handling medication management while also recognising broader patient needs. The program has successfully treated nearly a thousand patients and received positive feedback from families. 

Dr. Con Papadopoulos reflects on his career blending acute and developmental paediatrics, highlighting the importance of managing complexity, fostering community-wide support for child development, and advancing ASDP’s role in uniting and guiding clinicians toward more dynamic, sustainable care models.