The Butterfly Effect

28/01/2026

If you’re wondering whether things are improving — look closer.
Shorter meltdowns.
More repair.
A willingness to try again.
That is progress.

27/01/2026

What a fantastic experience this is!

This Sunday 1 February between 9-10am, Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson invite persons with sensory sensitivity or disability to an expansive, multi-sensory journey that engages your sense of perception. Choose your path through a primordial landscape, encounter moments that heighten awareness and envision the future form of our city.

🎟️ Tickets: https://buff.ly/QoQq204

- This session will be quieter without the usual crowds.
- Volumes will be lowers and high sensory exhibits will be signposted.
- Announcements over the PA system will be paused.
- A floor plan and sensory guide will be available.
- A calm room will be available from 9am-5pm.
- Sensory kits (including self-regulation resources and ear muffs) will be available on the day, free of charge.

Please note: this activation is not affiliated with AQ. Please direct all questions to event organisers at GOMA.

27/01/2026

“How was your day?” often gets a shrug — not because children don’t want to share, but because their brains are tired.

After a full day of learning, socialising and self-regulating, many children don’t yet have the words ready. What they need first is safety, time, and connection — not interrogation.

Try questions that invite experience, not performance.

Slower. Softer. More curious.

When children feel understood, sharing follows naturally.

27/01/2026

TV, games and videos give the brain a fast dopamine hit.
It feels good instantly — but the brain quickly learns to expect it.

With repeated screen-based dopamine, everyday things like play, homework, conversation and creativity can start to feel harder or less rewarding.

This isn’t about blame or banning screens.
It’s about understanding how children’s brains adapt — and why slowing things down matters.

When we protect time for play, movement, connection and boredom, we help the brain build resilience, focus and emotional regulation.

27/01/2026

The first weeks back at school aren’t about behaviour.

They’re about adjustment.

New routines. New expectations. New demands on nervous systems.

Progress looks like settling, repairing, and slowly finding rhythm again.

18/01/2026

A calm presence makes a difference 🐾

For many children, feeling safe comes before talking, learning, or engaging.

A therapy dog offers quiet companionship, predictable responses, and gentle connection — all of which help calm busy nervous systems. Simply being near a therapy dog can lower anxiety, support emotional regulation, and make therapy feel less overwhelming.

We often see children open up more naturally, stay engaged for longer, and feel braver knowing there’s a steady, non-judgmental friend nearby.

At The Butterfly Effect Sunshine Coast, our therapy dog is part of creating a warm, supportive space where children can settle, connect, and grow at their own pace.

17/01/2026

Parenting neurodivergent young people can feel exhausting and unseen.

Small, steady responses build safety — even when progress is quiet.

You’re doing more right than you think.

16/01/2026

Play therapy provides a safe way to express emotions, experiences and stress without pressure to talk or perform.

Change happens through relationships.

15/01/2026

When children paint, explore, and engage in sensory play, it’s not about creating something “perfect.”
It’s about curiosity, confidence, emotional expression, and the skills they’re developing along the way.

Through self-directed art experiences, children strengthen fine motor skills, regulate emotions, explore creativity, and communicate feelings in ways that feel safe and natural to them. There’s no right or wrong — just meaningful learning through play.

At The Butterfly Effect Sunshine Coast, we value the process because that’s where growth, connection, and emotional development truly happen.

14/01/2026

Counselling offers a calm, respectful space to process emotions, identity and stress — without pressure or judgement.

07/01/2026

Skills grow when stress is reduced and support increases.

• They assume a motivation problem
• Many kids have a capacity problem
• Pressure doesn’t build skills
• Support and scaffolding do

Reward charts don’t fail because parents aren’t consistent.
Skills grow when stress is reduced and support increases.

If a child could meet expectations consistently, they would.

For many children, behaviour is limited by capacity —
not motivation.

Skills grow when stress reduces and support increases.
Not when pressure goes up.

When reward charts don’t work…

Try this instead:

1️⃣ Reduce the demand
Smaller steps = more success

2️⃣ Support the nervous system
Breaks, movement, calm presence

3️⃣ Build skills before expectations
Support first. Independence later.