Quirky Kid

16/04/2026

Calling All Parents 📢‼️

Join Dr Kimberley this Monday for an exclusive virtual LIVE webinar on Emotional Clusters in Families!

In this webinar, Dr Kimberley will unpack three classic emotional clusters that commonly impact family harmony:

1️⃣Misaligned parenting styles: how differences in limits, tone, and follow-through can unintentionally amplify behaviour.

2️⃣Scapegoating/blaming cycles: how families can get stuck in criticism, defensiveness, overcompensating, or “taking sides”.

3️⃣Sibling rivalry: why competition can intensify at certain ages and how to reduce comparison, resentment, and daily conflict.

You’ll learn how to detect these clusters early, what keeps them going, and what to do instead — using a clear, practical framework that supports both boundaries and connection. The session includes realistic examples, language you can use at home, and a Q&A to help you apply the ideas to your own family.

Sign up today: https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/workshops/emotional-clusters-in-families

20/02/2026

Accessible Neurodiversity Assessments for Regional Families


Now available in Goulburn through Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health.

Finding high-quality developmental assessments shouldn’t require a trip to the city. Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health have partnered to deliver expert-led clinical assessments directly to Goulburn.

Our 2026 outreach program is designed to provide families with faster access to diagnostic pathways and early intervention support.

Visit our website or scan the code to join the regional waitlist and stay informed about clinic dates and availability.

Where? 13-17 Verner Street, Goulburn, 2580, NSW

For more info please use this link:https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/company-news/bridging-the-gap-quirky-kid-and-grand-pacific-health-partner-to-bring-neurodiversity-assessments-to-regional-nsw-and-act

18/02/2026

Big events— whether in the community or within a family—can bring big feelings.

It is important to remember that children can be affected by trauma even when they aren’t directly involved. If things feel heavy right now, gentle, trauma-informed support can make a meaningful difference.

There is no “right” way to feel. Whether you or your child are feeling anxious, numb, angry, or on edge, these are normal responses to an abnormal situation. Your nervous system is simply trying to protect you.

How to support your child:

1️⃣Prioritise Connection: Offer calm reassurance (“You’re safe right now”) and stay emotionally and physically close.

2️⃣Maintain Consistency: Keep routines where possible to provide a sense of predictability.

3️⃣Regulate Before Reasoning: Help their body calm first through slow breathing, gentle play, or time outdoors.

4️⃣Communicate Simply: Answer their questions honestly and at their level. Your calm helps their nervous system settle.

How to support yourself:

1️⃣Ground Your Body: If you feel overwhelmed, try slow breaths, movement, journaling, or listening to music.

2️⃣Manage Information: Take intentional breaks from the news or social media.

3️⃣Pace Yourself: You don’t have to talk if you aren’t ready, but you also don’t have to hold everything in.

If distress remains high, impacts sleep, or causes ongoing changes in mood or behaviour, professional support is available. Seeking help is a sign of strength—you don’t have to navigate this alone.

The Quirky Kid team is here to support you whenever you are ready.

16/02/2026

Accessible Neurodiversity Assessments for Regional Families


Now available in Moruya through Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health.

Finding high-quality developmental assessments shouldn’t require a trip to the city. Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health have partnered to deliver expert-led clinical assessments directly to Moruya.

Our 2026 outreach program is designed to provide families with faster access to diagnostic pathways and early intervention support.

Visit our website or scan the code to join the regional waitlist and stay informed about clinic dates and availability.

Where? Unit 8/73 Vulcan St Moruya NSW 2537

For more info please use this link:https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/company-news/bridging-the-gap-quirky-kid-and-grand-pacific-health-partner-to-bring-neurodiversity-assessments-to-regional-nsw-and-act

13/02/2026

Unraveling the Senses 👀 Understanding Sensory Processing Issues in Children

What do sensory processing issues look like?
While parents may observe that their child displays different behaviours or easily becomes upset over seemingly minor issues, tracing these problems back to sensory processing differences can be challenging. This is because sensory processing issues profoundly affect how children perceive and interact with the world, impacting various aspects of their lives. These include emotional regulation, attention and activity levels, body awareness and coordination, as well as language and social skills.

Signs of sensory processing issues often involve unique reactions to sensations, such as:

•Irritation or distress over clothing textures, labels, sound volume or pitch, or light/visual patterns.
•Under-reactivity to sensory input, like not responding to their name being called or having a high pain tolerance.
•High activity level, seeking pressure through tight hugs or purposefully bumping into people and objects.
•Low activity level or avoiding movement-based activities.
•Inappropriate interaction with people or objects, such as touching, licking, or biting.
•Disliking being messy or resisting grooming.
• Selective eating or being a picky eater.

How can I help my child with sensory processing issues?
‍
If you think your child has sensory processing issues, there are several steps you can take to help them. Firstly, parents can ask their health professionals to use a Sensory Checklist to assess their child’s behaviour and see if a professional consultation is needed. The Sensory Checklist can be adapted for different ages and can also be filled out by other adults who spend significant amounts of time with the child, such as their teachers, to build a more accurate sensory portrait.

11/02/2026

Accessible Neurodiversity Assessments for Regional Families


Now available in Batemans Bay through Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health.

Finding high-quality developmental assessments shouldn’t require a trip to the city. Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health have partnered to deliver expert-led clinical assessments directly to Batemans Bay.
Our 2026 outreach program is designed to provide families with faster access to diagnostic pathways and early intervention support.
Visit our website or scan the code to join the regional waitlist and stay informed about clinic dates and availability.

Where? 21/11 Clyde St, Batemans Bay NSW 2536

For more info please use this link:https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/company-news/bridging-the-gap-quirky-kid-and-grand-pacific-health-partner-to-bring-neurodiversity-assessments-to-regional-nsw-and-act

06/02/2026

Keeping Cool for School Camp 🏕️

School camps, slumber parties and sleepovers are important steps to your child gaining their independence, but for some kids and their parents, this potentially positive experience can be riddled with anxiety. Thankfully, effective strategies resolve some of the most common concerns around sleeping away from home or without the comfort of family.

Strategies for Parents of first-time School Campers

1️⃣ Manage Your Own Anxiety: Before addressing your child’s concerns, ensure you have managed your own anxiety to avoid passing on feelings of worry or appearing flustered.

2️⃣ Address Homesickness: To ease separation anxiety, encourage your child to pack a small, comforting item from home that helps make the unknown feel more familiar.

3️⃣ Pack Together Early: Turn packing into an engaging scavenger hunt well in advance to ensure you have all necessary items and avoid last-minute stress.

4️⃣ Reduce the Unknown: Minimize uncertainty by discussing the camp schedule and requesting that your child room with a familiar friend.

5️⃣ Share Positive Stories: Discuss your own camp experiences, emphasizing the fun you had and the valuable lessons learned from any challenges.

6️⃣ Normalize Feelings: Help your child understand that feeling nervous is natural, but teach them to counter those worries with positive affirmations like, “I’m nervous, but I’ll have fun with my friends.”

7️⃣ Plan for Specific Needs: Communicate any dietary requirements or travel sickness concerns to staff ahead of time to prevent predictable issues during the trip.

Read the full artical here: https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/resources/keeping-cool-for-school-camp

05/02/2026

Canberra! We are coming to you. 📣

We are excited to announce a new partnership between Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health (GPH) launching in 2026. This collaboration is dedicated to bringing best-practice paediatric developmental and neurodiversity assessments to regional communities, ensuring that families can access high-quality care closer to home.

This Canberra pilot program will be based at the Headspace Canberra Clinic in Lyneham.

The partnership addresses critical gaps in health services within underserved regional areas. By combining Quirky Kid’s long-standing clinical expertise with GPH’s deep roots in South Eastern NSW, we aim to:

❗️Increase Access: Provide high-quality developmental and diagnostic assessments for young people and adults to identify those eligible for greater support.
❗️Reduce Wait Times: Facilitate quicker, but robust, diagnostic pathways to enable faster access to early intervention services.‍
❗️Improve Outcomes: Enhance mental health and developmental trajectories for families in regional and remote communities.

Please check out our website article for more info! https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/company-news/bridging-the-gap-quirky-kid-and-grand-pacific-health-partner-to-bring-neurodiversity-assessments-to-regional-nsw-and-act

31/01/2026

Changing Schools: What Parents Need to Know 🧠

There are many reasons why you might consider seeking out a new school for your child. Maybe you’ve moved to a new area or your child isn’t happy at their current school. While changing schools isn’t always an easy decision, there are several steps you can take to help make the transition an easier one for your child.

As with many other big decisions, parents and children might not always see eye to eye. When parents want their child to change schools due to a physical move or for academic or social reasons the child doesn’t agree with, resistance and conflict may ensue. In other cases, the child might want to change schools because they don’t like their teacher or have friendship issues, but their parents might not agree.

Many parents wonder how long they should persevere at a school if their child isn’t happy there or if they themselves have issues with the school. Educational and Developmental Psychologist Dr Kimberley O’Brien recommends addressing the issues with the school administrators and the child’s teacher before making any snap decisions.

“Once you’ve brought the issues up, give the school about three months to resolve them,” says Dr Kimberley. “If things haven’t changed by then, you’ll know you’ve done everything you could and that it’s time to move on.”

How to make the transition easier for your child?

1. Get involved

2. Encourage extracurricular activities

3. Observe behavioural and mood changes

4. Plan and involve your child in the process

5. Seek professional help

Access the full article using this link. https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/resources/changing-schools-what-parents-need-to-know

27/01/2026

6 Expert Tips to Prepare Children for Back to School ✏️

After a much-needed break following a big year, it’s almost time to go back to school.

“There is a lot of uncertainty about what this year will bring academically,” says Educational and Developmental Psychologist Dr Kimberley O’Brien. “Will we be homeschooling for half the year? No one knows and that can be unsettling for some children and families.”

When it comes to reducing anxiety around back to school, planning ahead is key. Dr Kimberley gives us her six top tips for getting children back into school mode.

1. Refresh uniforms

2. Do a walk-by

3. Get back into a routine

4. Cut back on screen time

5. Go stationery shopping

6. Be mindful

Access the full article here: https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/resources/6-expert-tips-to-prepare-children-for-back-to-school

24/12/2025

We’re bringing assessments closer to home in 2026. 🏡

We are wrapping up 2025 with huge news for families in regional NSW and the ACT.

We know how difficult it can be to access neurodiversity assessments outside major cities. The travel is tough, and the wait times are often even more challenging. That’s why we are so proud to announce our partnership with Grand Pacific Health.

In 2026, we are rolling out outreach assessment clinics to bring our team directly to: 📍 📍 📍 📍

📢 Join the Waitlist Today You don’t have to wait for the doors to open to secure your spot. We are accepting registrations of interest now to help us plan our first visits. 👉 Register here: https://quirkykid.notion.site/181258a375e280f39d3cd4041f5a49aa?pvs=105

Before we sign off for the year:

🗓️ Holiday Break: Our team will be recharging from 24 December to 15 January 2026.

🎒 January Workshops: School holiday spots are filling fast (including The Best of Friends). Head to our website to book before we close!

👋 We’re Hiring: Know a psychologist passionate about regional care? We’d love to meet them.

To all our families—thank you for trusting us with your children this year. We can't wait to see you (and reach more of you!) in 2026.

Read more: https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/company-news/bridging-the-gap-quirky-kid-and-grand-pacific-health-partner-to-bring-neurodiversity-assessments-to-regional-nsw-and-act

Quirky Kid and Grand Pacific Health are partnering to launch neurodiversity assessment centres in Moruya, Batemans Bay, Goulburn, and Canberra in 2026. This improves access and reduces wait times for regional NSW/ACT families.

18/12/2025

Merry Christmas from QK to you! See you all next year :)