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infoLink magazine
See also
Do it online
- Disability publications for loan or sale
- Disability message boards and online forums
Disability contacts

Disability Information Services
Phone 1300 786 117

National Relay Service
TTY/Voice
Phone: 133 677
Speak and listen (SSR)
Phone 1300 555 727
www.relayservice.com.au

Independent Living Centre
Phone 1300 885 886

Commonwealth Carelink
Phone 1800 052 222

Parent Helpline
Phone 1300 364 100

Kids Helpline
Phone 1800 551 800

The Interpreting and Translating Centre
Phone 8226 1990

Autism SA Info Line
Phone 1300 AUTISM (1300 288 476)

Novita Children's Services
Phone 1800 337 443

Sensory Directions
Phone 1800 738 855

My tags

Community support

Health care and nutrition for children with disability

On this page:
Specialist medical support
Support through Medicare
Healthy living and nutrition
Toilet training and incontinence
Mental health support

Specialist medical support

Preschool children generally receive medical support via a doctor (GP) or through the Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service and the Flinders Medical Centre.

Speak with your GP about the specialist medical support in your area for both preschool and school-aged children.

Other sources of specialist medical support for children with disabilities:

Novita medical services holds special medical clinics at their regional offices and at hospitals (including the Women's and Children's Hospital).

More information about how to register for Novita services is provided on the Novita website or phone 1800 337 443. Fees apply to some Novita services.

If you have a child over five years old with a disability, medical and health services for eligible children can be provided by the Centre for Disability Health. To find out if your child is eligible for support contact one of the Centres.

For more information see the Centre for Disability Health information sheet.

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Support through Medicare

Medicare covers the full cost of some bulk-billed health services that may be useful for people with a disability, such as:

If your child has a major medical condition, a doctor (GP) can write a GP Management Plan and coordinate a Team Care Arrangement with other health and care providers.
If your child has autism, or any other pervasive developmental disorder, you can receive diagnosis and early intervention treatment. For more information phone the Autism SA Info Line on 1300 288 476.

Talk to your family doctor to find out if your child is eligible. In their busy practices, doctors will not always be thinking about these items. Before you agree to any health care, it is important to ask about fees and if your doctor bulk bills.

For more information:

Medicare information sheet
phone Medicare on 132 011
Health assessment for people with an intellectual disability fact sheet.

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Healthy living and nutrition

Many children and young people with a disability have special problems with eating, drinking and keeping up a good diet.

Novita nutrition and dietetics can help parents and carers to make sure their child maintains a good diet. For more information about how to register for Novita services visit the Novita website or phone 1800 337 443. Fees apply to some Novita services.

For a range of health supports and information:

Contact your local community health service. To find a community health service in your area use the Health Services Finder
The Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Child and Youth Health have many supports and information resources for families, including about disabilities.
The booklet There’s No Such Thing As A Silly Question is a free practical guide for South Australian families living with a child with chronic illness, disability, mental illness or life-threatening condition.
Search for health topics in Parenting SA Easy Guides. These contain simple, easy-to-read information on many of the issues faced by parents from birth through adolescence.
Search for health and disability information at Health Insite.
The Youth Healthline is a confidential telephone health information, referral and support service for young people from the age of 12, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Phone 1300 131 719 (local call cost within South Australia).

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Toilet training and incontinence

Children with disabilities are often slower to achieve bladder and bowel control. The reasons vary depending upon the child and the disability. A range of continence products and assistance is available.

Support with toilet training for preschool and school age children is provided by Disability Services. For more information, phone the Disability Information line on 1300 786 117 or email: disabilityinfo@dcsi.sa.gov.au

For toilet training resources available for loan or sale see the Continence products information sheet, or view the products and order online from the Service SA online shop.

Assistance to pay for some of the costs of continence products is provided by Novita Children’s Services. Visit the Novita website for more information about how to register for Novita services. Fees apply to some services.

For more information about continence and help available:

see continence aids
visit Novita’s page about toilet training—you can also email a question to a therapist
see the Continence Resource Centre information sheet./li>

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Mental health support

If you have a child over five years old with a disability, medical and health services for eligible children can be provided by the Centre for Disability Health. To find out if your child is eligible for support contact one of the Centres. For more information see the Centre for Disability Health information sheet.

Information and resources on child and adolescent mental health can be found on the Child and Youth Health website and supports for children, young people and infants is provided by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS).

For more information on mental health and the support available phone the Parent Hotline on 1300 364 100 (cost of a local call) or search for mental health topics in Parenting SA easy guides for information on many of the issues faced by parents from birth through adolescence.

See the intellectual disability - anxiety disorders information sheet.

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