This segment on Mornings on Channel 9 discusses the benefits of accessing early intervention for children with autism. The recommended minimum number of hours for early intervention is 20 per week but Australian government funding does not cover these significant costs. What can families do? Read full article
Recently my fifteen-year old middle son, N, said to me, "Whenever I tell my friends my mum is allergic to the cold they think I’m making it up." I’m most definitely not making it up and have a written diagnosis from a rheumatologist to prove it. However, I thought it was ironic that N brought this up, as he also has a condition which many people seem keen to claim is ‘made up’ - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD ... I get extremely annoyed when so called ‘experts’ suggest that ADHD may simply be a result of bad parenting, as in the case in this recent New York Times opinion piece. Read full article
Dr Jeffrey Pfeifer, a forensic psychologist from Swinburne University of Technology, was asked about some research he’d conducted into sixty American sports stars. Thirty of these stars were ‘models of professional behaviour’; the other thirty had been in trouble with the law. He found that:
": the group of individuals who had found themselves in trouble with the law were less likely to have experience in their lives with making choices whereas the ones who had not gotten into any trouble seemed to have a lot of experience in their lives from childhood up, making choices. Read full article
What Are You Doing? is a short film, created by Autism Awareness, which aims to teach school aged children about acceptance and understanding of their peers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The film addresses some of the fears children may have about ASD, answers their questions and helps show them how they can be a great friend to a classmate on the autism spectrum. IThe film will be screened at primary schools across Australia later this year. View trailer. Read full article
Like you, there are certain topics I often wonder about - one of them is why yawning is contagious. I remember reading a theory somewhere suggesting that yawning allows more oxygen into our lungs and the contagious response is because our brain automatically assumes that if someone else is yawing, there's a shortage of oxygen and we need to respond accordingly! Could that be true? It was the best explanation I'd read ... until today. Read full article
Monday 21 February 2011 - Links to Latest Parenting and Education news: Coffee Shop Skills Helps Kids with Autism ~ Teacher Suspended for Blog Comments on Students ~ Brain Arousal and Emotions ~ Social and Emotional Learning in Schools ~ UN Report on Fatherhood ~ Working Mother Stress ~ Fatherhood Needs Redefining UN Report ~ Bilingual Children Better Multitaskers ~ Risk of Super Schools Read full article
Monday 7 February 2011 - Mum of Bullied Child Sues $1million ~ Free Preschool for Aboriginal Children ~ Diet and ADHD ~ Value of Books and Libraries ~ Teaching Maths is Fun ~ Obesity and Double Income Families ~ Autism and Testosterone in Womb Read full article
Monday 17 January 2011 - Links to Latest Parenting and Education news: Child Beauty Pageants ~ Gender Selection ~ Parenting Adult Children ~ Australian Literacy Project ~ New Zealand Parenting Program ~ 14 Year Old in Refugee Camp ~ Special Schools for Children with Autism ~ Vaccination and Autism ~ Poverty Among African American Children Read full article
Monday 17 January 2011 - Links to Latest Parenting and Education news: Queensland Floods Parenting Ideas ~ Childcare Worker Shortage ~ Children at Parents' Funeral ~ Teacher Training ~ Autism and Stress ~ Milk and Bowel Cancer ~ Benefits of Family Meals ~ Facebook Bullying Leads to Charge ~ Is Baby's Sleep Normal? Read full article
Wednesday 12 January 2011 - Links to Latest Parenting and Education news: Pinkification of Girls ~ Surrogacy in Australia ~ Children in Detention ~ Oxytocin & Ethnocentrism ~ Publishing Teacher Performance Rankings ~ Teacher Disciplined for Allowing Sled Use ~ Special Education Students ~ Autism and Yawn Contagion Read full article
