By Dr Michelle Garnett, Clinical Psychologist Being in an intimate relationship with someone is one of the most intensely joyful and painful experiences we can have. The ecstasy of finding love, being in love, and loving someone is so incredibly uplifting that most people would declare that they ”would rather…
By Luke Blackwood, Psychologist Minecraft is an open world video game that has become popular amongst children and adolescents, particularly neurodiverse youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Minecraft is often compared to virtual LEGO as it involves using blocks to build structures in an online world by mining for resources…
We are honored to meet and get to know our clients, colleagues, and community on a daily basis and thought it would nice to share a little about us! We will provide a monthly segment on our team member’s perspectives, areas of passion and purpose in their career, and some…
by Barb Cook Typically, autism is viewed as a male condition with stereotypical preconceptions that all autistics must, for instance, be mathematical savants and their career paths are in IT. Wrong. In this article I want to highlight some of the inaccurate perceptions of autistic people, in particularly women, look…
By Ms Amy Cleator, Provisional Psychologist Pokémon is a game-based phenomenon that has attracted both children and adults across the globe. Originating in the 1990’s, Pokémon was developed by Satoshi Tajiri’s (diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome), whose early love of insect collecting allowed him to observe the impact of urban development on the…
By Dr David Zimmerman, Clinical Psychologist Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. When we engage in deliberate mindfulness practise, it provides a window of opportunity…
By Ms Sarah Ormond, Psychologist Pathological (extreme) demand avoidance (PDA) is a term applied to patterns of complex behaviours that may be seen in some children on the autism spectrum, who often experience heightened anxiety. Children with demand avoidance may present with difficulties in social communication, social interaction, relationships, and…
By Naomi Francis, Speech Pathologist In early communication development, there’s often a heavy focus on nouns (what is this?), verbs (what are they doing?), and basic concepts (is it big or little?). An area that may be overlooked is the use of “Mental State” words. These are words we use…
By Ms Nicola Stigter, Provisional Psychologist Many families who make an appointment for their child, with a psychologist or specialist for a diagnostic assessment for Autism Spectrum Condition, are unsure of what to expect and how to prepare ahead of time. It can be a confusing and overwhelming time for…
by Dr Wesley Turner, Clinical Psychologist Often, ASD individuals who are also Gifted present with a combination of cognitive abilities and executive function difficulties that result in a ‘perfect storm’ that negatively impacts on academic and social performance. Typically, their neurocognitive profiles include discrepancies in the following areas: Cognitive Flexibility…