Families forced to wait up to three years to see paediatric specialists, or pay hefty costs for city appointments

For three years Jack was on a waiting list to be assessed for autism and ADHD, conditions for which, according to Autism Awareness Australia, early intervention and access to timely, specialised support is crucial.

While long waiting lists and limited access to paediatric specialists is not unique to rural South Australia — there's a shortage of paediatricians nationwide — it is cold comfort for families told of the importance of early intervention only to be unable to access it.

"Unfortunately there remains a significant shortage of non-GP specialists in many rural and regional areas," president Jacqueline Small said. "Being a parent, you know when something is wrong with your child but trying to get them diagnosed is a long, long road."If you can get in to see an or a different type of specialist, sometimes they will push for you to get the appointment with a paediatrician, otherwise you're on your own and you have to keep calling and calling.Coonawarra mother Khloe McElroy is experiencing similar long wait times to get support for her son Chace, who was also born prematurely.

She said getting an appointment seemed to be a case of being the loudest voice and continuing to call, sometimes daily, for appointments.Heather Cary, who runs speech pathology clinic Communicate Better in Mount Gambier, said there was a nationwide shortage of professionals in her industry, but the situation was "far worse" in rural and regional areas.

"It can be really heartbreaking when patients need to access specialist services which are not available locally."to travel with minimal reimbursements from PATS , placing them under financial stress and isolating them from family and support networks; orMs Bilal said regional areas were in dire need of funding for additional services, which included enticing specialists to live or travel to regional areas.

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