Children's Health

Bed wetting treatments
Children's health 08 Nov 2012

Bed wetting treatments

Statistics show that only 34% of Australian families with a child who wets the bed seek professional help. Instead, they wait for what’s called ‘spontaneous remission’, where the child grows out of bed wetting naturally, something that does eventually occur in many children, but not all. It’s a concerning statistic when you…
World-first procedure on unique paediatric patient
Children's health 06 Nov 2012

World-first procedure on unique paediatric patient

Melbourne researchers have performed innovative world-first kidney surgery to cure a unique combination of medical conditions in a 10-year-old boy. Young patient Matthew Gaythorpe is thought to be the only person in the world born with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis (ARPKD/CHF) and Narcolepsy. The rare combination…
New guidelines to address trauma of childhood abuse
Children's health 01 Nov 2012

New guidelines to address trauma of childhood abuse

A new set of guidelines launched today aim to help mental health and social service providers better understand the complex effects of trauma on adult survivors of childhood abuse. The guidelines, funded by the Federal Government and developed by Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA), were launched today in Canberra by…
Inhaled anaesthesia may affect children's brains more
Children's health 31 Oct 2012

Inhaled anaesthesia may affect children's brains more

Stony Brook University School of Medicine researchers have found that children’s brains are more affected by an inhaled aesthetic than an intravenous aesthetic with increased levels of brain lactate. Lactate increases brain activation and may lead to metabolic changes associated with anxiety and delirium. Reported in the November issue of…
Autism early intervention found to normalise brain activity
Children's health 31 Oct 2012

Autism early intervention found to normalise brain activity

An intensive early intervention therapy that is effective for improving cognition and language skills among very young children with autism also normalises their brain activity, decreases their autism symptoms and improves their social skills, a nationwide study has found. The researchers said the study is the first to demonstrate that…
New guidelines to address trauma of childhood abuse
Children's health 30 Oct 2012

New guidelines to address trauma of childhood abuse

A new set of guidelines have been launched which aim to help mental health and social service providers better understand the complex effects of trauma on adult survivors of childhood abuse. The guidelines, funded by the Federal Government and developed by Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA), were launched in Canberra by Minister…
Kids’ screen time needs to be curbed to prevent developmental problems
Children's health 18 Oct 2012

Kids’ screen time needs to be curbed to prevent developmental problems

Curbs on children’s daily screen time and delaying the age at which they start “the world’s favourite pastime” are urgently needed to stave off the risk of serious health and developmental problems, argues a leading psychologist and child health expert in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. In the face…
Bigger play areas for kids cut obesity risk
Children's health 18 Oct 2012

Bigger play areas for kids cut obesity risk

The global fight against obesity could be helped by providing support for child’s play, a researcher from The University of Western Australia has found. Research leader Dr Karen Martin studied school environments and their association with physical activity during school recess. The study found children who attended schools with more…
Whole genome sequencing for rapid diagnosis of genetic diseases in children
Children's health 17 Oct 2012

Whole genome sequencing for rapid diagnosis of genetic diseases in children

Today investigators at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City reported the first use of whole genome information for diagnosing critically ill infants. As reported in Science Translational Medicine, the team describes STAT-Seq®, a whole genome sequencing approach – from blood sample to returning results to a physician –…