How do you react when you hear expressions like “well done”, “another A grade”, “aren’t you clever” and “great work”?

Most of us learn to tie our shoelaces, eat with cutlery and use a pencil with relative ease. But for children with dyspraxia (also known as developmental coordination disorder or DCD), these tasks are incredibly difficult to master.

Childhood obesity is increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In high–income countries, while prevalence may be plateauing, it remains high; and we are seeing an increase among children living in disadvantage.

People often tell new parents to avoid sing-song “baby talk” with their new addition to the family because it will slow the child’s language development.

While some children spend the school holidays studying in tutoring centres, enrolled in sports camps or other structured activities, others are left to do their own thing.

The Australian National Audit Office recently listed child support program arrangements between the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Department of Human Services as a priority issue.

In August, Treasurer Scott Morrison warned that “Australia has a generation growing up expecting government handouts”. Researchers have labelled this the “Me Generation”.

The Committee notes that … suicide has become one of the leading causes of maternal death in Australia. – The Obstetrics Clinical Committee, report to the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review, August 2016.

Freebirthing, where women choose to give birth without medical assistance from midwives or doctors, is mired in controversy. Healthcare workers harbour deep concerns for the health of mother and baby.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is a condition that affects up to half of all babies under three months of age. It can happen multiple times a day, particularly after feeds.

The federal government’s most recent plan to overhaul Australia’s welfare system focuses on welfare dependency among younger parents, carers and students. The Minister for Social Services Christian Porter in announcing the report said:

What drives and sustains high levels of violence in a society? This question has preoccupied researchers and policymakers for decades. A common thread in a great deal of the research is that early childhood experiences play a vital role.

This article is the first in our three-part series on the blinding, deafening and sometimes deadly conditions in Indigenous Australian children that have little to no impact on their non-Indigenous counterparts.