When children are referred to Sunny Hill Health Centre at BC Children’s Hospital for an assessment – whether for autism, speech and language or other developmental concerns – most families don’t know what the experience will involve. To support patients and families, Sunny Hill has a developed a set of social stories called “Coming to Sunny Hill for an Assessment”. Created in collaboration with family partners, youth collaborators, and Sunny Hill staff, the stories help families feel informed, confident, and prepared.

Created in collaboration with family partners, patients, and Allied Health staff at Sunny Hill, these guidebooks use simple language, site photos, and cartoon characters to explain to children and youth what will happen at their appointment. Links to the stories are provided when the booking letters to sent to caregivers, allowing families to review the materials in advance.  Printed copies are also available in Sunny Hill’s Family Gathering Space, so children can follow along during their appointment. To help everyone enjoy and understand the stories, audio versions are available for listening. The team is also exploring ways to share the guides in more languages.

Special thanks were extended to Karolyn Nyl and Megan Fox with ABC Social Shop, who designed the child friendly graphics and whose own children attended Sunny Hill and are featured in the teen version of the guide. Their contributions and commitment brought this project to life and provide a valuable template should other clinics wish to develop similar resources for their patients. 

Check out the guides:  

• Coming to Sunny Hill for an Assessment – Children
• Coming to Sunny Hill for an Assessment – Teens

For questions, contact Cynthia Vallance, Patient and Family Engagement Advisor, Sunny Hill Health Centre at Cynthia.Vallance@cw.bc.ca for more details.