School is back and, with it, the daily task of packing a lunchbox, writes Margaret Murray. If your child is coming home with uneaten sandwiches, you’re not alone. They’re easy to make and transport, but sometimes the last thing kids (or adults) want to eat. The food...
Financial abuse is one of the most common — and least recognised — forms of domestic and family violence. It often hides in everyday money decisions, quietly stripping women of independence, safety and choice. Experts from UNSW Sydney say financial abuse is frequently invisible — even to the...
Nicholas Wood and Debra Kennedy look at what the science says about the link with autism United States President Donald Trump urged pregnant women to avoid paracetamol except in cases of extremely high fever, because of a possible link to autism. Paracetamol – known as acetaminophen or...
‘I had a recurring dream I was shot in the head’ said one male principle. Lucas Walsh, Christine Grice, Jane Wilkinson and Tim Delany report on the current position in Australian schools. Principals’ jobs have always been stressful, involving a constant juggle to meet the needs...
With the wealthiest kids most likely to be medicated, report Brenton Prosser and Yogi Vidyattama The number of young people in Australia prescribed medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increased more that tenfold in 20 years, our new research shows, while it is no longer most...
Chelsea Mobbs reports that physio at 3 months old – or even earlier – can really help babies with cerebral palsy Physiotherapy isn’t just for adults recovering from injuries. Physiotherapists can help babies and children, too – including babies with, or at high risk of, cerebral...
Teenagers aren’t lazy—their brains are wired to run later. New neuroscience explains why early school start times clash with teens' sleep, mental health, and learning, and why some Australian schools are rethinking the school day. If your teenager struggles to get out of bed before school,...
Sandy Leen finds that her idea of what constitutes a good babysitter is quite different from those of her children. When You Don’t Have “A Regular” The downside of living far from family and moving every couple of years or so is that we have never had...
Is it only just an increase in sick days? How can Australia fix this? ask researchers Jordana Hunter, Amy Haywood and Molly Chapman On a typical school day in Australia last year, about 11% of students were absent. In 2014, the figure was 7%. Two in...
How parents shape a child’s pain response matters, writes Joshua Pate It happens in slow motion. Your six-year-old daughter is sprinting across the playground at school drop-off time when her toe catches on uneven ground. She goes down hard. The playground goes silent. She freezes and looks...
