Rnz: It Takes A Village

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about the parental attitudes and skills that help children cope with a separation or divorce.

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright discusses the impact on speech development in children of glue ear. Glue ear is the build up of sticky fluid in the middle ear which can cause hearing loss. It's estimated 80 per cent of children will have had one episode of glue ear by the time they're 10 years old. Thousands of children each year have surgery, where ventilation tubes or grommets are inserted.

Educator and author Lance King has worked with tens of thousands of students, both here and overseas, and has seen a lot of children who are struggling to achieve at school or are lacking in self-confidence. His book, The Importance of Failing Well, aims to provide practical information for parents wanting to support their kids through their challenges.

Recent research from the University of Otago has found moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds. Psychologist Sarb Johal talks to Kathryn about the impact of moving home, and how parents can help.

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about children who lack motivation and drive - what's behind this, and how can parents help them regain direction?

The number-one driver of mental illness is isolation, says parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis, therefore it's especially important for children to form healthy attachments in the first three years of life. Humans are interdependent by nature, and being socially connected gives our brain the peptides and positive hormones that it needs to stay well, Wallis says.

Teaching young people how to manage money, budget and save. Auckland commerce teacher John Duston's dream is for every New Zealand teenager to be financially capable before they leave school. He's written a book - Financial Capability - which can be used as a text book, or a work book in the classroom, but it can also encourages people of all ages to think about money management. John Duston is a teacher at St Cuthbert's College in Auckland.

Youth Development lecturer Pat Bullen from the University of Auckland says all too often young people are stereotyped, stigmitised and discriminated against. Her ongoing research debunks the myth that adolescents are rude, lazy, self-entitled risk-takers who need fixing.

What is tongue tie surgery and is it needed? Wellington Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright thinks it is being recommended in cases where it isn't needed.

With university and secondary school students heading towards end of year exams, what are some key reading tips for study success?

Parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis with advice for parents worried that their kids are not making developmental milestones? When to be worried and seek help, and when to relax and let kids find their way.

Dr Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan about how devices have changed the way children relate to each other at school. He says while technology is expanding children's horizons in the classroom, it has changed the dynamics of human connection, learning and teaching. A research fellow at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education and Social Work, with a doctoral degree in educational psychology, Dr Mohamed Alansari's teaching and research focuses on classroom practices and relationships, and how they impact on how well children at primary and tertiary level socialise and learn. He's also involved in the I Have a Dream project, which looks at the impact of significant others on kids' lives. Dr Alansari is speaking at a free Raising the Bar event in Auckland next Tuesday.

John Marsden, Australian educator, principal and acclaimed author of more than 40 books for teenagers and children, talks about his new book The Art of Growing Up.

More young people than ever before are accessing pornography, and with more frequency, according to research by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Kathryn talks with Auckland writer and body positivity campaigner and educator Angela Barnett who says the number of teens manipulating their own images using smartphone apps is on the rise. The apps photos to be tweaked to achieve blemish free skin and model-like features. Angela is the founder of the website FABIK, and of the Pretty Smart talks which she delivers in schools to 11 to 15 year olds.

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen says it's understandable when parents give in to anger, frustration and even depression when dealing with difficult children. But he says over reacting, or responding by being either authoritarian or overly permissive are not the way forward. He shares his toolkit for breaking the cycle, and starting afresh in a new way.

Helping children to reduce their screentime can be as simple as remembering what you did as a child - encouraging outdoor play. In the US, there is a growing demand for screen-free parenting coaches. Parents are hiring professionals to help come into their homes to help them wean their children from spending excessive time online staring at the screen of their tablets, phones and other devices. Here, the Ministry of Health guidelines for screen time usage is less than one hour each day for children aged 2 to 5 years. To examine some strategies for helping cut down on screentime, Gloria DeGaetano is a private coach working in the Seattle area helping families to deal with the issue.

The past nine months have been a rollercoaster of emotions and change for Ashburton parents, Jo and Deane Taylor. Last year their 13 year old son Tom, was diagnosed with stage 4 hodgkin lymphoma. In our parenting slot this morning we are focusing on the realities and practicalities of looking after a sick child, the effect it has on family dynamics, and the sorts of things that can make a tough and worrying situation a little easier to bear.

Ivana Mlinac speaks with Kathryn Ryan about helping children overcome stigma and separation anxiety when their parent is in prison. Ivana's research into parental incarceration inspired to her write children's book Stardust - we always share the same sky. It's a magical book encouraging children to explore their feelings about missing their mum or dad. In New Zealand 23,000 children have parents in prison, and are often living with financial hardship and bullying in addition to separation anxiety. Ivana describes these children as having been handed a "secondary sentence". Ivana has an MA in Criminology, and is a Research Programme Coordinator at the University of Auckland.

Every parent knows the difficulties in trying to discipline their children and the feeling it's not working properly. Clinical therapist Anna Martin's new book Listen to me! Taking the conflict out of child discipline aims to provide parents with some effective strategies that put the listening and wellbeing of children before lecturing.