Working with your child's GP

Summary: 

  • Family doctors or general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in supporting children with ADHD.
  • Shared care is when your paediatrician and GP work together to provide the best care for your child.
  • Your GP will keep track of your child’s health and development between visits to the paediatrician.
  • It helps to stay with the same GP so that they get to know you and your child.

How can a GP help my child?

GPs are an important part of your child’s healthcare team. They can:

  • manage your child’s medical needs, such as iron deficiency or ear infections
  • coordinate care for your child and your family
  • refer your child to medical specialists (other kinds of doctors)
  • help you access allied health services (for example, occupational therapy).

Your GP can help you to get a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan in place.

You can then get some of the costs back (Medicare rebate) if you have private psychology or allied health appointments (such as speech therapy and occupational therapy).

Your GP may be the first person you talk to about your child’s development. Your GP does not assess for or diagnose ADHD, but they can:

  • help you decide if your child needs to see a paediatrician
  • make a referral to a public or private paediatrician
  • help you prepare for your child’s appointment with the paediatrician.

Shared care for children with ADHD

If your child is prescribed medicine to help them with their ADHD, your paediatrician will talk to you about working with your child’s GP. This is called shared care.

In shared care, your GP will:

  • monitor your child’s health and development, including their height, weight and blood pressure
  • write repeat prescriptions for your child’s medicine
  • monitor the effectiveness and any side effects from the medicine your child is taking
  • report back regularly to your child’s paediatrician.

This means you do not need to see the paediatrician every time your child needs more medicine.

It might be useful to book a long appointment with your GP. This will give them enough time to check your child’s health and for you to discuss any issues. 

An illustration of a young boy and his father talking to a general practitioner

Finding a GP

Find a GP for your family by using the Healthdirect Service Finder

Once you find a GP that you and your child feel comfortable with, it helps to stay with them so that you can develop a long-term relationship.

Your child’s GP will be even more important when your child becomes a young adult and attends appointments by themselves.

    Last Updated: 26/06/2025