Each year, thousands of babies are born with congenital anomalies — structural or functional differences that can affect development. While modern medicine has advanced dramatically, many families still face the uncertainty of a child’s undiagnosed condition. In Part 1, Clinical geneticist Dr Susan White reflects on...
From cooperative space adventures teaching neurodivergent teens collaboration to VR taking biology students inside the human body, educators are harnessing the power of play. Educators Ben Loveridge, Matthew Harrison, Dr Alexander Bacalja, and Jess Rowlings each look at different ways to encourage student motivation, engagement, and collaboration...
‘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...
Carmel Hobbs reports that Australian teens need adults to help them recognise red flags for potentially abusive relationships. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates 2.2 million adults have been victims of physical and/or sexual violence from a partner since the age of 15. Almost one in three...
Emphasising function over form will help to encourage a positive body image in children, writes clinical psychologist Renee Mill. Why Body Image Matters At a mums’ group late last year, Grace shared she had read the government was planning to monitor magazines for their depiction of skinny...
‘Thriving Kids’ could help secure the future of the NDIS, report Helen Dickinson, Anne Kavanagh and Catherine Smith Mark Butler, the minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), announced a new plan to “secure the future” of the NDIS. Central to this plan is...
As Australia navigates rising ADHD diagnoses, expanding pharmaceutical interventions, and new support frameworks like Thriving Kids, critical reflection and transparency remain essential. The Therapeutic State: When Morality Becomes Medicine Where people were once judged for simply behaving badly, psychiatry now often treats those same behaviours as medical...
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...
Parents don’t need to try harder to ease parenting stress, writes Elizabeth Sharda. Forget self-reliance and look for ways to share the care. I wrap up my workday and head for home, making a quick stop to grab the supplies my sixth grader needs for a...
Coercive control: the silent abuse harming children nationwide Barnardos Australia is warning that children across rural and regional Australia are becoming the hidden victims of coercive control — a form of domestic violence that uses intimidation, surveillance and financial restriction rather than physical assault. Although often invisible...
