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Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of parent-reported autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in Australia, and examine the developmental profile of children with autism spectrum disorder compared to their peers. Design/Setting: Secondary analyses were undertaken on data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Participants: Children were recruited at kindergarten (K cohort) and birth (B cohort), and subsequently completed two-yearly ‘waves’ of assessments. Main Outcomes: Autism spectrum disorder diagnostic status was ascertained at Wave 4 along with age of diagnosis by parent report. Standardised tools were used to assess children’s quality of life, behaviour, receptive vocabulary and non-verbal intelligence. Results: Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder was 2.5% (95% confidence interval = [2.0, 3.0]) in the B cohort compared to 1.5% (95% confidence interval = [1.2, 2.0]) in the K cohort. In both cohorts, children with autism spectrum disorder had poorer mean quality of life, emotional-behavioural functioning and receptive vocabulary compared with non-autism spectrum disorder peers, and a higher proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder had problems in these areas. However, between 6% and 9% of children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder and 12–20% with mild autism spectrum disorder were not reported to have problems with social interaction. Conclusion: The prevalence of a parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder before age 7 in Australia was higher in the B cohort. Data from future Longitudinal Study of Australian Children waves will clarify whether autism spectrum disorder has been diagnosed earlier in the B cohort or if there is a continued increase in prevalence. Future waves will also provide crucial information about the types and severity of problems experienced during the primary and secondary school years which will assist service planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infant fed well and was discharged home the next day. A 6-day-old term infant was referred to the emergency department with a cluster of ulcers on the soft palate, incidentally noted by his Maternal and Child Health Nurse. Examination was unremarkable except for three shallow 3 mm × 3 mm ulcers to the right of the uvula, and one on the left side with associated pharyngeal erythema (Fig. [Extracted from the article]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder and one of the main diagnoses seen by general paediatricians today. Despite the impression often portrayed in the media, it is not a new condition; in fact it has been described for over 200 years. The past 50 years has seen a progressive increase in our understanding of the underlying neurocognitive deficits in ADHD, and over the past 20 years behavioural genetics and neuroimaging studies have shed light on the complex causal factors and neurobiological processes operating. The plethora of ADHD research has advanced our knowledge of the condition, but so far has had little impact on improving clinical practice. Stimulant medication has been the mainstay of symptomatic treatment for over 30 years; however, it is still unclear how developmental trajectories can be modified to achieve best outcomes. It is hoped that novel therapies and more individualised management will evolve over the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis complicating Epstein-Barr virus positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disease of childhood is a rare and life-threatening entity. We report a child with this condition presenting with a toxic epidermal necrolysis-like eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study aimed to compare multidisciplinary ( MD) versus sole paediatrician ( SP) assessment models for children with learning and/or behaviour difficulties. Methods Children aged 4-12 years referred for an MD or SP assessment of learning and/or behavioural concerns were invited to participate. At baseline, parents completed surveys assessing child behaviour (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ) and quality of life ( QoL) (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0; PedsQL). Following the assessment, parents completed a survey evaluating their satisfaction with the assessment. Parents completed a survey at 3-4 months post-assessment assessing: (i) adherence to recommendations; (ii) perceived changes in child functioning; and (iii) child QoL and behaviour. Results The parents of 66 children (82% male) participated in the study. Parents reported satisfaction with both assessment models; however, parents in the MD group reported better understanding of their child's difficulties than the SP group ( P = 0.03). Parents in the MD group were less likely to report that 'recommendations were useful and practical' compared with the SP group ( P = 0.01). There was no significant change in child behaviour or QoL in either group from baseline to 3-4 months post-assessment. Conclusions Parents attending both clinics were satisfied with the assessment process. MD assessment of children with suspected learning and/or behavioural concerns appears to have the additional benefit of helping families to better understand their child's difficulties. Fewer families attending MD clinics reported that recommendations were useful and practical compared with the SP model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated a 6-session group parenting program, Tuning into Kids (TIK), as treatment for young children (aged 4.0-5.11 years) with behavior problems. TIK targets parent emotion socialization (parent emotion awareness, regulation and emotion coaching skills). Fifty-four parents, recruited via a child behavior clinic, were randomized into intervention (TIK) or waitlist (clinical treatment as usual). Parents reported emotion awareness/regulation, emotion coaching, empathy and child behavior (pre-intervention, post-intervention, 6-month follow-up); teachers reported child behavior and observers rated parent-child emotion coaching and child emotion knowledge (pre-intervention, follow-up). Data were analyzed using growth curve modeling and ANCOVA. Parents in both conditions reported less emotional dismissiveness and reduced child behavior problems; in the intervention group, parents also reported greater empathy and had improved observed emotion coaching skills; their children had greater emotion knowledge and reduced teacher-reported behavior problems. TIK appears to be a promising addition to treatment for child behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the effects of COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions varying in severity and duration on health‐related behaviours in children aged 5–17 years. Methods: We used data from the Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Poll, an online cross‐sectional survey of Australian caregivers. The survey assessed 1222 caregivers' perceived changes in health‐related behaviours (physical activity, sleep, screen‐time, diet, outdoor activity, family and peer connectedness) of 2011 children aged 5–17 years in a typical week from June to September 2020 (when jurisdictions experienced varying restriction severity and duration) compared to retrospective reports of behaviour before March 2020 (pre‐pandemic). To compare the effects of varying restriction severity in Victoria, New South Wales (NSW) and other states and territories on health‐related behaviours binary logistic regression was used, adjusting for caregiver demographics and weighted to reflect Australia's parent population. Results: Compared to pre‐pandemic, Victoria's restrictions had a greater impact on child health‐related behaviours compared to NSW restrictions and an even stronger impact compared to other states and territories which experienced few or no restrictions. A greater proportion of Victorian children reported more recreational screen time (71.3%) than NSW (53.9%) and other states and territories (34.5%) and less physical activity (57.2%) than NSW (30.3%) and other states and territories (26.5%). Victorian children reported less outdoor activity (62.6%) than NSW (32.0%) and other states and territories (25.2%), and less social connectedness (68.0%) than NSW (35.4%) and other states and territories (27.3%). Conclusions: More severe and longer COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions are associated with greater impacts and predominantly more negative impacts to children's health‐related behaviours. These should be mitigated through policies and programs to encourage healthier life‐styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between family functioning and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in an Australian community-based sample. Children were screened for ADHD in their second year of formal schooling. Two hundred and two (202) primary caregivers completed validated measures of family quality of life (QoL), parent mental health, parenting styles and parental relationship quality. Compared with controls, parents of children screening positive for ADHD reported poorer family QoL in the domains of emotional impact (mean difference [MD] −20.1; 95% CI −38.2 to −1.9, p = 0.03) and impact on family activities (MD −17.2; 95% CI −27.9 to −6.5, p = 0.002), less parental warmth (MD −3.4; 95% CI −6.0 to −0.9, p = 0.01) and higher parental depression (MD 6.8; 95% CI 1.8 to 11.7, p = 0.009) and anxiety (MD 6.2; 95% CI 1.7 to 10.6, p = 0.008) after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and child conduct symptoms. Parents of children screening positive for ADHD reported higher stress (MD 4.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 7.1, p = 0.007) and more inconsistent (MD 3.0; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.8, p = 0.002) and hostile (MD = 2.2; 95% CI 1.0 to 3.4, p = 0.001) parenting after adjusting for socio-demographic factors only. No difference in parental relationship quality and parental inductive reasoning was identified. Conclusion: These findings suggest a strong association between poor family functioning and ADHD symptoms and carry implications for comprehensive ADHD management and the importance of seeing the child within the family context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In late 2007, we established the Australian Paediatric Research Network (APRN) - a 350 member strong research network - which aims to facilitate high quality research into common, child health conditions seen in secondary care settings. Through this network we hope to engage paediatricians working at 'the coal face' to generate research ideas, take part in projects and ultimately contribute to better health care and policy for Australian children. As for adults, tertiary institutions remain the predominant site of paediatric research. Tertiary research however, is biased towards severe illness, isolated conditions, highly selected patients and single interventions. This is not always relevant to the real world that paediatricians confront every day. The APRN is off to a strong start. We have worked with members to establish their research priorities and conducted a prospective audit of their caseload to inform the relevance, feasibility and design of future APRN studies. We have developed a website () which will house useful tools for conducting research including child health measures and project design needs. We plan to call for member-initiated research proposals on an annual basis and to conduct a 'multi-topic' survey addressing up to six research topics at any one time. Although conducting research in secondary care settings poses time, cost and process challenges, all of these are firmly within the APRN's sights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]