By Ms Naomi Francis, Speech Therapist You may have heard of the term “pragmatics” before, but never thought much of it. In its simplest form, pragmatics, or “social communication” is the use of language in a social context. When communicating with others, we often think of the words we use…

There are 1.2 million Australians with communication disability. Speech pathologists work with these Australians to provide them with the confidence to communicate. In Australia today, communication disability remains largely invisible. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the challenges faced by Australians with communication disability. That’s why during Speech Pathology Week,…

By Dr David Zimmerman, Clinical Psychologist Research suggests that children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) spend more time on video games and computers than their peers (Mazurek et al., 2012; 2013; Kuo et al., 2014). Although there are evidence-based benefits identified from the use of digital and social…

By Dr Wesley Turner, Clinical Psychologist The onset of puberty is often a stressful time for adolescents and parents alike, and is typically of particular concern to parents of adolescents with AS. While the ups and downs of puberty are largely unavoidable, there are strategies that parents can put in…

By Radhika Tanksale, Clinical Psychologist The term mindfulness has seeped into people’s vocabulary in the last few years. Not just adults but children too have heard the word. Back in 2004, I remember completing my predoctoral degree in psychology at the University and coming back to live with my mother…

By, Sonya Blandford, Psychologist Have you noticed that some people are more upset than usual during this time of social isolation?  Matching their emotional level can lead to escalation of an incident and can affect relationships in a negative way. The EAR statement (created by Bill Eddy) is one strategy that…

By, Dr Michelle S Garnett  Clinical Psychologist, Author and Autism Consultant MPsych(Clin) PhD  MAPS FCCP The term “alexithymia” is coming up more and more in the research literature on autism. You may have wondered what it is and how is it is relevant to autism? Alexithymia describes someone who has difficulties…

Cora is passionate about delivering evidence-based treatment in a warm and supportive manner, with a client-directed focus. She is committed to achieving positive outcomes for her clients. Cora believes in working collaboratively with you to help you gain insight and understanding of the problem, and to formulate goals you would…

By Professor Tony Attwood, Clinical Psychologist Children who have autism will know at quite a young age that they are different to their peers with regard to the ability to read facial expressions, body language and social cues, and are different to their peers in the ability to make and…

By Rebecca Kuhn, Psychologist. Exposure to constant news about climate change in Australia has many young people feeling worried about its impact on their future lives. ReachOut and Student Edge recently released survey data consisting of over 1500 students aged 14 to 23 which indicated that up to 80 percent…