Childhood development

Analysis and Comment (9)

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Children’s brains are plastic and sensitive to their environments. annagarcia

Nature and nurture: why do boys and girls behave differently?

By Gehan Roberts, Centre for Community Child Health

New evidence is emerging that confirms what parents and children have reported for generations: boys and girls behave differently, and parenting practices vary depending on the gender of the child. Boys…
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Children should be taught to play music themselves rather than just listening to it. Naruco

Monday’s medical myth: play Mozart to boost your baby’s IQ

By Michael Vagg, Barwon Health

What parent can pass up the chance to boost their child’s intelligence by putting on some nice classical music? The popular idea that IQ scores can be raised by listening to Mozart is a case study in…
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Quality relationships and time spent together is what’s important when it comes to children’s wellbeing. Flickr/disgustipado

Shared parenting: what’s really important when dads move out

By Nina Lucas, La Trobe University and Jan Nicholson, Queensland University of Technology

The media often blame a lot of society’s problems on the break down of traditional family structures and the increase in single parent homes. When fathers no longer live at home, policy makers focus on…
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Inward-facing prams allow for more interaction with infants but parents shouldn’t feel guilty about what equipment they have. skeddy in NYC/Flickr

Misquoted: how an innocent interview about raising babies led to hate mail

By Cathrine Fowler, University of Technology, Sydney

A seemingly harmless interview with a journalist in the lead-up to a public lecture has unleashed a torrent of abuse about my view of one aspect of raising infants. I take some responsibility as my use…
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Problems come when bodies change and brain development doesn’t keep up. Flickr/zebra404

Twelve going on 20: are girls reaching puberty earlier?

By Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash University

You just have to turn on the television or catch a glimpse of a magazine newsstand to see how girls are being thrust into adulthood earlier and earlier. But does biology match societal change? Are girls…
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A blanket approach to improving outcomes can’t work for such a diverse and dispersed population. AAP

Same-old, same-old: report shows Indigenous children still being left behind

By Helen Milroy, University of Western Australia

The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report – Headline Indicators for Children’s Health, Development and Wellbeing 2011 – shows Indigenous children, as well as those living in remote areas…

Research and News (3)

Research Briefs (9)

Kids learn how to be mean from TV

Iowa State University

Preschoolers learn how to be mean from children’s television. Researchers from the US examined how children interacted in…

Natural disasters test kids' altruism

University of Chicago

Younger children become more selfish than older children following a natural disaster. American and Canadian researchers…

Child hunger level underreported

Rice University

A new study has shown that addressing child hunger at an individual and family level may not be enough, with only 70% of…

Participants (36)