News - Early Start Australia

A child’s play is their main occupation across their early years and is made up of moments in time as they seek out the meaning of things in their world. Starting in infancy, babies delight in being with trusted adults who gently show them the wonder of voice, eye gaze and touch; it is through these close relationships that babies learn.

In the process of learning about giftedness and gifted assessments, many parents come across one particular question: which tool is the best for assessing my child? While there is no definitive answer to this question, as each assessment tool offers different pros and cons, it can be difficult for parents to gain a sense of exactly what each tool offers.

All children and adolescents will experience fear and worry that is developmentally appropriate and transient in nature. For example, a large dog may cause a toddler to scream and run in fear.

The current research literature shows us that dyslexia is an enduring disorder for which no cure is available. However, there is an abundance of controversial therapies and pseudoscientific programs that promote “cures” and “dramatic results”. These programs are both confusing and tempting for hopeful parents who are eager to assist their child.

A report by The Centre for Independent Studies (Read About It: Scientific Evidence for the Effective Teaching of Reading) suggests that Australian children are finding learning to read more and more challenging.

In an increasingly technological world, recent years have seen computers and tablets become common learning tools, both in the classroom and at home. But are screens helping or hindering students? Some research suggests that the use of computers may not be as beneficial to learning as many people expect, for both early literacy development and general retention of learned information...

Children need strong relationships to grow up healthy and happy. Research by Powell, Cooper, Hoffman, and Marvin (2013) demonstrated that children and teenagers with a secure parent-child attachment relationship...

More commonly known as a ‘flat head’ and ‘crooked neck’ respectively, the two conditions, Plagiocephaly and Torticollis often, but not necessarily, go hand in hand.

Child development covers a whole range of skills that a child must master over their lifespan and are most often categorised into 5 domains.

Fine motor skills refer to the way in which we use our hands to complete tasks. We might use one hand or two hands, one or two fingers, or all of them with our thumb.  Babies are born with very basic fine motor skills.