Twenty questions. Three minutes. One clearer next step.

A method that respects your time and your doubt

Every parent who has Googled late at night knows the feeling. You find forty results, and none of them answer your specific question. Some are terrifying. Some are American. Some are selling something. And the one you really want — a calm, Australian, clinician-backed overview of what you're noticing — doesn't exist.

So you're stuck. You know something feels off. You can't quite name it. And you're not sure whether to phone your GP or just wait and see.

Seen closes that gap. We ask the questions a clinician would ask, in plain language, and give you back a structured overview that describes the patterns, explains what they might mean, and gives you one clear recommended next step.

The five steps

01. Notice

You arrive at Seen because something made you look today. Not everything — something specific. Maybe your child is melting down at transitions. Maybe they're struggling to make friends. Maybe they're fidgety, or sensory-sensitive, or both.

We start by asking what brought you here, and why now. This grounds the walk-through in your actual concern, not in a generic checklist.

02. Describe

You answer 20 questions across four domains: attention and executive function, social communication, sensory processing and regulation, and emotional regulation and behaviour. Each question is drawn from one of the validated screeners Australian clinicians use — the M-CHAT-R/F, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the SWAN, or the Social Communication Questionnaire. We adapted these questions with permission and clinical review, and every question has been tested with Australian parents.

The questions are phrased parent-first. They ask "how often does your child…" not "does your child present with…" You know your child better than anyone. We ask you what you're seeing.

03. Walk-through

The whole walk takes about three minutes. Each question appears on its own screen, phrased in plain English, and you can skip any that don't apply. We don't track whether you finish or time out — you answer what you can, and you get an overview of what you shared.

There's no pressure and no countdown. If you need to stop and come back, your progress is saved in your browser.

04. Overview

After your twentieth question, you receive a structured, plain-English summary. It describes the patterns that stood out across the four domains, explains what each pattern might mean at your child's age, and gives you the clinical context — what's typical, what clinicians usually explore when they see a pattern like this, and what you might ask your GP or paediatrician about.

The overview is not a diagnosis. It is a structured account of what you've described, matched against what clinicians typically look for. It's the thing you take to your GP and say, "Here's what I've been seeing. What do you think?"

05. Next step

Based on your child's age, your state, and the severity of patterns you've described, we recommend one specific next step. It might be a conversation with your GP and a Mental Health Care Plan. It might be a paediatrician referral. It might be community paediatrics, or a phone call to Kids Helpline, or emergency services if safety is a concern.

We also give you a printable summary of your results — the overview, the next step, links to relevant condition pages, and contact information for state-based services — that you can bring to your appointment.

What the twenty questions cover

The questions span four developmental domains that Australian clinicians assess when a parent reports concern about their child's development. Each domain has five questions. Together they paint a picture — not a diagnosis, but a pattern.

Attention and executive function (5 questions)

• How easily does your child focus on tasks they choose, or tasks you set?
• Does your child seem fidgety, restless, or in motion most of the time?
• How well does your child plan and organise multi-step activities?
• Does your child lose or forget things frequently?
• How does your child handle waiting, or things not going to plan?

Social communication (5 questions)

• Does your child initiate friendships or social contact with other children?
• How does your child respond when another person shows interest in something?
• Does your child make eye contact with familiar people?
• How does your child use gestures, facial expressions, or tone to show what they mean?
• Does your child seem to understand unwritten social rules — things like when to take turns in conversation, or when to be quiet?

Sensory processing and regulation (5 questions)

• Are there sounds, textures, tastes, or smells that really bother your child?
• Does your child seem unusually interested in sensory experiences — textures, movement, or the way things look?
• How does your child handle transitions between activities?
• Does your child have a narrow range of foods they'll eat, or very particular textures?
• Does your child seem to notice or react strongly to changes in routine?

Emotional regulation and behaviour (5 questions)

• How does your child respond when they're frustrated or disappointed?
• Does your child seem anxious or worried about things?
• How quickly does your child bounce back after becoming upset?
• Does your child's mood seem to shift quickly or without an obvious reason?
• How does your child behave in new or unpredictable situations?

What the overview shows you

After you finish the walk-through, you see a one-page overview. It has four sections.

First: the patterns that stood out. We summarise the domains where your answers suggested patterns, in plain English. You might see something like "Attention and transitions appear important to your child's day" or "Your child shows a strong pattern in social communication and sensory experience." We don't use clinical language; we describe what you told us.

Second: the clinical context. For each domain where a pattern emerged, we add 50–100 words of context. What does this pattern look like in children your child's age? What are clinicians usually thinking about when they see this shape? What questions might they ask you? This is the bridge between your observation and a clinician's assessment.

Third: your next step. A single recommended action, matched to your child's age and state. If your pattern is low, we might suggest a "watch and wait" conversation with your GP. If moderate, we suggest a Mental Health Care Plan and a GP referral. If patterns are stronger or safety is a concern, we guide you toward paediatricians, emergency services, or crisis lines.

Fourth: what to do with this. A printable version you can take to your GP. Links to related condition pages. Contact details for state-based Parentline, Kids Helpline, Lifeline, and emergency services.