Autism

This specialized multidisciplinary team for children with autism spectrum disorders is the provincial resource for diagnosis and assessment. The team offers educational sessions for families and the community. In addition, there is ongoing research into autism.

Autism is a complex lifelong developmental disorder that is often difficult to diagnosis and manage and requires a team of experienced professionals.

Assessments at Sunny Hill are designed to meet individual needs and address the questions raised by parents and community teams. This ranges from the early diagnosis of toddlers and preschoolers to the assessment of cognitive and language abilities for school planning, and to recommendations for medical or behavioural management of older children.

Over the years, the team has actively researched this puzzling disorder, with many grants and publications to their credit. At present, team members are involved in collaborative nationwide projects on early identification, epidemiology and genetics.

The service is offered on-site at Sunny Hill and in some cases, as outreach to the child's community. As a tertiary resource, education and support for community professionals is a key part of the mandate. Sunny Hill as part of PHSA provides provincial leadership for the British Columbia Autism Assessment Network (BCAAN). For more information, please see the PHSA BCAAN.

Contact person: Karen Kalynchuk

For more information, contact the Sunny Hill switchboard at 604-453-8300.

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PHSA improves the health of British Columbians by seeking province-wide solutions to specialized health care needs in collaboration with BC health authorities and other partners. For more information, visit http://www.phsa.ca

PHSA agencies include: BC Cancer Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, BC Mental Health & Addiction Services, BC Provincial Renal Agency, BC Transplant, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, and Cardiac Services BC.