Professor Kevin Wheldall explains that there’s more to learning to read than meets the eye. Even if a child can read fluently and has a good vocabulary, that is not enough. The child also has to be able to make sense of words in context. Anyone who...
Reading aloud to young children is akin to going on the stage. It requires a willingness to be theatrical, to sing, to change voices and be animated in your actions and facial expressions says Nan Williamson It is true that the magic of reading lies in...
Head lice are extremely common in Australia among primary aged children. No treatment can prevent head lice but keeping hair clean and regular checks can prevent them spreading. They are not dangerous and there are two main treatment options to remove head lice: mechanical removal...
In the beginning, there will be a lot of scribble says Joelie Hancock – round and round, repeated strokes, spots or jabs at the paper. This play is very important. It is the child’s way of experimenting, finding out how things work and gaining control...
Janet Tubbs examines the characteristics of children with this syndrome. Because Asperger's is so widely misunderstood, parents often feel guilty about their child’s behaviour, believing it reflects on their parenting skills. Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a form of autism that falls midway on the autism spectrum, between...
It was a relief when the mystery of why Liz Dunoon’s son was having difficulty in reading was solved. I sat in the driver’s seat of my car feeling empty and numb as a warm tear slid down my cheek. I stared blindly through the windscreen...
Cathy Watson tells of the time it became clear that her son would not be following his classmates into the next grade. “How could you do this to me?” he wailed. It was some time in his second year of school that we realised that our son...
“No Daddy, you don’t understand. If I have a two dollar and a one dollar they’ll let me have anything. Not just what Mummy says I can have...
Schools and their teaching staff have a duty to take reasonable care for the safety and wellbeing of students while students are at school or are involved in a school activity. Satisfying this duty of care involves: Providing a safe environment for students and staff Providing...
Professor Gordon Tait argues that teachers are now expected to shoulder the burdens that others will not. The concern is that teachers are now to be regarded as de facto therapists and since somebody has to be responsible for children’s behaviour, it is teachers who...
