Category Archives: Blog

Latest news and thoughts from Sunnyside Children’s Clinic

signs of autism in teenagers

Does My Teenager Have Autism? Signs of Autism in Teens

Does My Teenager Have Autism? Signs of Autism in Teenage Boys and Girls

In our experience, most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or autism are diagnosed at a young age particularly when they have very obvious difficulties. However, many children go under the radar because their difficulties might appear subtle or not very problematic in early childhood. These difficulties or signs of autism are often highlighted more in their teenage years when relationships deepen, change and become more complex.  Continue reading

Autism and Educational Apps

Top 50 Educational Apps For Children with Autism

Top 50 Educational Apps For Children with Autism

We love to supplement our core learning strategies with some of these fun apps.  The use of colours, songs, fun sounds/vibrations and collecting bonus items (such as treasure, stars etc.) add motivating aspects to keep children entertained and learning at the same time. See below for our extensive list of educational apps and details of the areas of learning they can help to target. Continue reading

travelling with a child with autism

5 Tips for Travelling with a Child with Autism

5 Tips for Travelling with a Child with Autism

It is the time of year when going on holiday should bring to mind fun and excitement. For many families the thought of travelling with a child with autism can be overwhelming. The following five tips are here to help! We hope they will make travelling a more enjoyable and stress-free experience for both your child and the whole family. Continue reading

Does My Child Have Autism? Early Signs of Autism

Does My Child Have Autism?

Does My Child Have Autism?

Signs of Autism in 18 Month Old Children

Noticing that your child is different to his or her siblings or peers can be understandably daunting. However, knowing the signs of autism are when your child is young can quickly begin the process of getting the correct level of support for your child and family.

Every child with autism will develop in their own unique way, yet early intensive behavioural intervention can vastly improve specific areas of deficit. Continue reading

imaginative play for children with autism

15 Toys for ‘Imaginative Play’ this Christmas

15 Toy Ideas to Encourage ‘Imaginative Play’ this Christmas with Children with Autism

It’s nearly Christmas!  With the vast number of toys that we can choose from in toys shops and online it can be hard to narrow down the list, especially for children with autism. At Sunnyside Children’s Clinic, we love seeing toys that are great fun to play with but that also allow little ones to develop their play skills, such as imaginative play, problem solving, creativity, turn taking and sharing. Continue reading

Holiday Tips & Autism

Our Top Strategies for Planning a Holiday with a Child with Autism

Our Top Strategies for Planning a Holiday with a Child with Autism

Summer holidays don’t always have to be challenging. A break from routine can be difficult for individuals with Autism and their families. Preparation is key and while not all situations will work out perfectly, here’s a few of our tips to help you during a holiday away from home or day trip with the family. Continue reading

Autism & easy fun app games

Top 10 Easy and Fun Game Apps for Children with Autism from Sunnyside Children’s Clinic

Top 10 Easy and Fun Game Apps for Children with Autism from Sunnyside Children’s Clinic

Whether we realise it or not, technology has become a major part of all our lives. Everything we need fits right in our pocket at the touch of a button. Individuals on the Autism spectrum or with a diagnosis of severe learning difficulties are finding new ways to develop and grow using iPads and tablets.

iPads can promote learning as well as being fun! There are tons of apps available geared toward different ages, interests and learning abilities.

It’s an easy way to help improve communication, cognitive skills and fine motor skills when you’re on the go.

Continue reading

Christmas activities for children with autism

12 Christmas Activities

12 Days Of Christmas Activities

Need some help to survive the Christmas holidays?

Much as we look forward to the Christmas break, the normal day-to-day routines of school, work and community activities all end with the start of the holidays. Lack of routine and planned activities can be a challenge so we have come up with our 12 days of Christmas activities.

Continue reading

Christmas Holiday Tips for Children with Autism

Christmas Holiday Tips


Helpful Christmas Holiday Tips – Simple Planning is Key

Christmas holidays bring with them a lot of change which many individuals with autism find challenging. So we have come up with a range of ways in which you can prepare and plan for some of those challenges. We hope these tips will help make this exciting time of year fun for everyone.

Read on for our Christmas holiday tips …. Continue reading

IT’S (almost) CHRISTMAS! 25 Great Sensory Present Ideas

25 Christmas Present Sensory Toys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we begin to prepare for the Christmas Season, amidst the joy and excitement, we are faced with the annual gift dilemma. While we all love to give presents, many families with children with autism find it a real challenge. We want to find a gift that will be loved and used but that’s not always easy. Add in all those family and friends wanting to know what they can give and, well it can become a daunting chore.

One of the most common requests we receive around this time of year is ideas for the ‘Christmas List’. So we decided to give our gift to you … a list of links to sensory Christmas present ideas for those light, sound, movement loving kids. Big gifts, small gifts and goodies for their Christmas Stocking. Gifts that flash and spin, that squish and ooze, gifts that soothe and calm. Continue reading