The 15th of February marks the ‘International Childhood Cancer Day’. Cancer has often affected many people and their loved ones at some point during their lives including our beloved young children. Cancer kills more Australian children than all other diseases combined. Around 1 in 285 kids are diagnosed prior to reaching adulthood. Over 10,000 Australian children are fighting cancer now. Another 1,100 are diagnosed each year. 1 in 5 kids die … [Read more...]
Smart Eating Week
According to me, smart eating is the practice of choosing and consuming a variety of foods from across the different food groups (wholegrain breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean meat and low-fat dairy and healthy fats), that provide all the essential nutrients required by the body to function. The art of smart eating reduces the incidence of chronic disease and improves quality of life. What does smart eating mean to you? Leave … [Read more...]
Children With Language Disorders: Missed Or Mis-Identified?
A recent study led by Professor Courtenay Norbury assessed children in primary schools across Surrey, has found that roughly two children in each Year 1 class has a clinically significant language disorder that his or her learning. This roughly equates to 7.58% of all children. This was found to be vastly different to the statistical data provided through the Department of Education, which indicates that only 3.04% of children in Year 1 of the … [Read more...]
Opera singer performs throughout his own brain surgery
While it is daunting watching, someone stay awake through their own surgery, especially performed on their own head. It is even more difficult to believe that someone could talk through the process. It is crucial however that some patients are kept awake specifically so they can speak or perform other high-level functions as they undergo surgery to give their surgeons a guide or map to work with when it comes time to remove the actual … [Read more...]
No Spanking, No Time-Out, No Problems
Many parents struggle to find the right way to discipline children that have challenging or negative behaviours. These behaviours can range from simply refusing to complete a task to hour-long screaming tantrums with the child screaming, kicking and hitting. Some parents turn to punishment in order to provide discipline; however, most parents still report that the challenging behaviours continue to happen. Alan Kazdin, director of the Yale … [Read more...]
Mama or Dada? Research looks at what words are easiest for kids to learn
The most common first word a child says is Mama or Dada, however recent research at Florida State University looks into how children use on these early words to build a broad and diverse vocabulary. Children leverage their early world knowledge to help them unlock their language skills, said FSU Assistant Professor of Psychology Arielle Borovsky. Knowing a few related words helps children recognize links between new word meanings, and this could … [Read more...]
Are you anxious or just worried?
It is normal to worry from time to time and everybody does at some stage; however, some worry more than others do. So how do you know if your worry level is clinically significant enough and you need to do something about it? According to Professor Jennie Hudson, Director of Macquarie University's Centre for Emotional Health, there are a few key signs to watch for, such as the inability to switch your worry off. Often people have a low level … [Read more...]
Experts say that loud movies in some theatres could damage your hearing
Movies have become a popular means of entertainment with millions of people frequently visiting theatres throughout the year to watch newly released films. While the movies are often exciting due to the large screens and surround sound, people often fail to notice how loud the volume of sound they are exposed to. The American Hearing Research Foundation has stated that movies are "a source of premature hearing reduction." A sound level of 85 … [Read more...]
Born without hearing, an 11-year-old takes on the National Spelling Bee
Neil smiles as he listens to his mom talk and tell stories about how he started speech therapy as a 6-month-old and had his first implant at 11 months. His ability to speak clearly and hear as well as he does is not just a result of medical advances, but of the fierce determination he and his parents have shown to make the technology work for them. Neil is on his first trip to Washington to participate in the National Spelling bee along with a … [Read more...]
Devastated Adele fears vocal cord damage may be permanent after she was forced to cancel Wembley Stadium dates
Adele has been forced to cancel her last two performances at Wembley, which would have completed her 123 world tour. The cancellation comes after pushing her voice to its limits across her entire tour, especially during her last few shows. The concerts held at Wembley were the biggest in the stadium’s history with 98,000 fans attending each night. Adele said 150,000 fans will be refunded after she was forced to cancel world tour. The singer … [Read more...]
