Puberty is a critical time at school so why aren’t we investing in it more?
The middle years of school are defined as being from 8-14 years of age, writes Lisa Mundy. These were often described as a latent or quiet phase of development. We now understand this is not the case — the middle years are a foundational period...
03 March, 2021Beating the bullies by thinking differently
Whether at work, school or at home, writes Professor Michael E. Bernard, bullying has the potential to greatly wound victims – in whatever form it takes: physical, verbal, social exclusionary or online. When someone more powerful says derogatory things about you, applies pressure on you...
03 March, 2021Distress Signals: mental health problems in young people with an intellectual disability
Kylie Gray, Glenn Melvin and Sarah Milsome look at the complex issue of recognising mental health problems in young people with an intellectual disability. Fifteen-year-old Melissa* wasn’t acting her usual self, and her parents had become very worried. Melissa, who has a mild intellectual disability,...
03 March, 2021In Their Shoes: life with Down syndrome
This article is not an argument for or against prenatal screening or testing for Down syndrome. Every week in my work as a clinical geneticist, I witness the trauma couples experience when making decisions about wanted pregnancies in which there is a problem with the...
03 March, 2021How to set teens up for a healthy relationship with alcohol
If you decide to allow your child to drink some alcohol, be aware that the younger they commence risky drinking, the greater the downstream threats. Steve Allsop looks at the impact of alcohol on developing brains. Young Australians are exposed to a range of risks...
03 March, 2021Not as simple as ‘no means no’: what young people need to know about consent
A recent petition circulated by Sydney school girl Chanel Contos, Jacqueline Hendriks writes, called for schools to provide better education on consent, and to do so much earlier. In the petition, which since Thursday has been signed by more than 5,000 people, Contos writes that...
03 March, 2021
Celebrating Mothers
The magic of ‘milk’ to improve human health
Milk is so intrinsic to us that we forget it’s even there, write Professor Ben Boyd and Dr Andy Clulow. Nine out of 10 fridges contain milk, usually from a cow, although increasingly, because we like “milk” so much, from plants. Human milk, meanwhile, is...
10 February, 2021Mums’ mental health improves with Maternal nurse home visits
New research called [email protected], found disadvantaged mothers’ mental health and wellbeing improved after regular maternal and child health nurse home visits during pregnancy, continuing up until the child turned two. Trial at a Glance: Australian research has shown a positive impact on the mental health...
10 February, 2021annabel crabb in the kitchen
Friends since their toddler days, Annabel Crabb and Wendy Sharpe grew up on the Adelaide Plains, in a small town called Two Wells. They shared a love of cooking, especially baking cakes that could be suitable for gala days or trading tables in country South Australia. The two mates that loved having adventures...
14 November, 2020Pregnant in a pandemic?
If you’re pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be feeling a unique type of stress, writes Monique Robinson. You might be uncertain about how an infection could affect your unborn baby. That’s over and above the stress you might be feeling about the pregnancy...
03 June, 2020