Many children who resist school aren’t being defiant — they’re overwhelmed. Learn how to spot the signs of school refusal and support your child with empathy and early help. When school mornings turn into battles As Term 4 begins, many parents are bracing for the return of...

‘I was 170th on their list’. Marg Rogers, Margaret Sims and Michelle Gossner report on the growing regions in “childcare deserts”. Imagine living in a town where three or more families are competing for a single early learning place. This is the reality for many families in...

Fewer friends, more time stress: the essential charts from this year’s HILDA survey, writes Inga Lass, Ferdi Botha, Kyle Peyton and Roger Wilkins. Every year, one of Australia’s biggest longitudinal surveys provides a range of insights on how the nation is changing. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics...

Robert Spillane presents a controversial view that ADHD may be overdiagnosed and over-medicalised.  When I was studying clinical psychology in the 1960s, my teachers were adamant that when it comes to children, ‘hands off’. In those halcyon days, children misbehaved; they did not suffer from...

AI in Classrooms: Promise and Risk for Young Learners warn CQUniversity researchers. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming Australian classrooms but CQUniversity researchers warn the tech revolution could be quietly rewiring young brains and not for the better. CQUniversity researchers Dr Ragnar Purje and Professor Ken Purnell have...

When it comes to stepping out, Alex A. G. Taub’s son refuses to toe the line. Last year, my son gave me my first Father’s Day gift – some insight into his future sense of humour. As a ‘professional’ father, I found the lesson that accompanied...

Parents are often told fruit is “bad” because it contains sugar, writes Nick Fuller, prompting concerns about how much fruit they should allow their child to eat.  This message has been fuelled by the “sugar-free” movement, which demonises sugar with claims it’s fattening and causes diabetes....

The teenage years are great, aren’t they? writes clinical psychologist Jari Evertsz Just as we feel that we’ve got the hang of managing our primary school-aged kids with all their different sporting activities, their quirky food preferences and their love of sofa cuddle-time, along comes High...