CliniKids

30/01/2026

Is your little one starting school this year? ✐ Having your child start Kindy or School is a huge milestone, and naturally evokes many emotions – excitement, nervousness and the feeling that your baby is growing up wayyy too quickly!

We all want our kids to transition into school as smoothly as possible - so we asked CliniKids Speech Pathologist Mikali Kluver to give us a little expert guidance on helping your little star shine at school.

⭐

“As a Speech Pathologist, I’m often asked how parents can best support their child to transition into school as smoothly as possible,” Mikali said. “One thing I suggest is to share your child’s strengths with the school.”

Parents and caregivers understand their child best. An ‘All About Me’ or a 'My Child cheat sheet' that summarises your child’s strengths can be a way to ensure that your child is understood and celebrated at school. This may include:

💙 What your child likes / their interests
💙 What they don’t like
💙 How they communicate
💙 How they regulate / calm

With this information, schools can support learning by incorporating your child’s interests into activities, using strategies that support readiness for learning, and interpreting and responding to communication and behaviour unique to your child.

Read the rest of Mikali’s expert tips for starting school in our Latest News – link in bio.

29/01/2026

Looking to sort your PD for 2026?

CliniKids is running NU-CUES© (Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations) online training on April 23 and 30.

Ideal for anyone who works with autistic children experiencing anxiety, the two-session workshop is designed to provide clinicians and professionals with a greater understanding of why uncertainty is a challenge for some children and how to deliver this group program in clinical settings.

At only $495 (inclusive GST) per participant for training and all materials, it's an affordable way to support the mental health of autistic children in your care.

Discover more: https://bit.ly/3FxPqO1

CliniKids is the first clinical service of The Kids Research Institute Australia, providing autism therapies and supports for young children.

27/01/2026

📣 Attention – allied health professionals! Now is the time to start planning your PD in 2026 before your diary fills up.

CliniKids offers a range of professional development training and workshops for allied health professionals, educators and other autism professionals.

This includes Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) training and certification, ADOS-2 training and certification NU-CUES© (Coping with Anxiety in Everyday Situations) workshops, and Autism CRC's Supporting Autistic Children Guideline and Autism Assessment and Diagnosis in Australia short courses.

All open for registration now. More about training at CliniKids: https://shorturl.at/k4aDi

26/01/2026

In this 60 Second Science video, Dr Jack Brett discusses a recent study that compared sport participation for and non-autistic-youth.

To read the article discussed in the video, visit: https://bit.ly/4lRL8l4

The Kids Research Institute Australia | |

22/01/2026

Are you (or do you know) an autistic person aged 24 or under?

Advocacy organisation ARACY, which promotes the wellbeing of Australian children and young people, would like you to share your lived experiences!

In partnership with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, ARACY is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) to be part of the 2026 Young and Wise Roundtables.

This is an opportunity for autistic young people to be heard – and help shape the policies and programs that affect their lives.

Submissions close January 30, 2026. More info and apply: https://shorturl.at/M7JpX

Participate in the Young and Wise Series 2 Roundtables to discuss crucial topics impacting young people's lives and aspirations.

21/01/2026

Professor Andrew Whitehouse – Director of CliniKids and Deputy Director at The Kids Research Institute Australia – recently joined the Emerging Minds podcast to discuss supporting infants with developmental differences.

Professor Whitehouse explores ways to foster connection and understanding between infants with developmental differences and their caregivers.

Listen in to learn:
💡 How video feedback can be used to strengthen parent–child relationships
💡 Ways to address parents’ developmental concerns in an empathetic and neuroaffirming way
💡 How these insights can be applied to environments like early childhood education

💡 How decision-makers can support babies with developmental differences and their families

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or click here: https://shorturl.at/BIoF3

The Kids Research Institute Australia | Emerging Minds Australia |

20/01/2026

Can a communication app on a device help non-verbal and minimally verbal autistic children express themselves?

CliniKids researchers are seeking autistic children who are using less than 50 words to communicate to take part in a research study.

We're conducting this study to investigate the effectiveness of the LAMP therapy approach and an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device for supporting nonverbal or minimally speaking autistic children to communicate.

✨ This opportunity is for autistic children aged 3 and 8 years of age who are able to attend face-to-face clinical supports and assessments at one of our CliniKids clinics (Subiaco or Joondalup).

📼 Watch this video with Claire Perrozzi to find out more.

💡For more info, phone (08) 6319 1139 or email LAMP@thekids.org.au


Kids Research Institute Australia | University of Western Australia | |

20/01/2026

Professor David Trembath, Head of Autism Research at CliniKids at Kids Research Institute Australia, recently spoke with ABC National about a new study, which has found no evidence linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism.

The study, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, analysed 43 existing studies and found the available evidence does not support claims of a link made by US President Donald Trump late last year.

Professor Trembath said that the results of the new study should address any questions people may have about paracetamol use during pregnancy.

“I'm really confident that if people talk to their GPs, their doctors, et cetera, that they'll be able to provide a really clear picture of the evidence … which is clear and consistent that there is no association between paracetamol and autism."

He also stated that it is unfortunate for the community that autism has been framed as a ‘medical condition’.

"I'm really sad that people have had to go through this whole series of events, but I'm hoping that this will put an end to it, that we can get back to focusing on what really matters."

Read the ABC story here: https://shorturl.at/5VAqQ

Read our evidence-based statement on autism and paracetamol here: https://shorturl.at/YOquw

ABC Australia

13/01/2026

✨ Plan your PD for 2026!

CliniKids is running Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) training in March and September.

PACT training is designed for allied health professionals to provide communication support for parents and caregivers of young autistic children. The evidence-based approach helps parents and caregivers understand and communicate more effectively with their child by promoting the development of social communication.

Once certified you can offer the PACT program at your place of work.

📖 Read more about PACT including the skills you can take from the training to your therapy sessions:

Find out more about Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy training for allied health and autism professionals at CliniKids.

12/01/2026

Over the summer break, we will be resharing some of our most popular 60 Second Science videos of the past year.

In this video, Georgina Earl discusses a study that looked at the effectiveness and feasibility of a parent-mediated shared book reading program with children.

To read the article discussed in the video, visit: https://bit.ly/4l6Wssz

📖 CliniKids offers the Shared Book Reading program to caregivers who would like to build early book sharing opportunities with their child. The program is suitable for:

🔵 Children with or without an autism diagnosis
🔵 Children who can attend to a book for approximately five minutes
🔵 Families who would like to support their child with early book sharing and core-literacy skills

💡To find out more, visit https://bit.ly/4lbdyWz or call 08 6319 1133.

The Kids Research Institute Australia | Griffith University | | | | |

08/01/2026

Welcome back Aria! We are pleased to share that Aria May, our Speech Pathology Clinical Lead, is back on board at CliniKids after parental leave.

Aria has over 14 years of clinical practice with a focus on Paediatrics and Autism in particular. She is trained in the SCERTS (Social Communication – Emotional Regulation – Transactional Supports) Model for Autism, Intensive Interaction, Augmentative Communication (AAC), and has Specialist Infant Dysphagia Accreditation.

She loves to embrace children’s strengths and interests in supports (from incorporating vacuum cleaners to messy science experiments!) and believes in working in partnership with families, as the people who know their kids best.

Aria is currently taking on new clients. Phone (08) 6319 1133 or email clinikids.reception@thekids.org.au to enquire.

08/01/2026

Can wearing a sensory vest support anxiety? Help us find out!

Many autistic children have trouble processing sensory information, and this can make it difficult for them to regulate everyday emotions.

Specialised clothing has been developed to help keep the sensory system calm. ​We want to know if this may help children manage anxiety.

We need the help of children and their caregivers to test the effects of a sensory vest on anxiety.

Who can participate? Children who:

🔷 Have a diagnosis of autism
🔷 Are aged 8 to 12 years old
🔷 Have anxiety and sensory problems

The study is being led by La trobe University and includes two trial sites - one in Melbourne and one in Perth.

Watch this explainer video with Associate Professor Gail Alvares - the chief investigator of the Perth trial - to find out more about the study, what's involved and who is eligible.

Click the link to register your expression of interest: https://bit.ly/4newJA0

Ethics: LTU HREC HEC25245/UWA HREC 2025/ET000711

Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre | The Kids Research Institute Australia | The University of Western Australia | | Perth Kids Hub | Kiind