The start of the school year can be an expensive time, not just for uniforms and stationery, but for devices too. And if you are the parent of a child with disabilities the costs are amplified. Workbridge Chief Executive and Assistive Technology consultant Jonathan Mosen says there's a complexity of choice for aids to help pupils with visual and hearing impairment - and with that can come high price tags.

The start of the school year can be an expensive time, not just for uniforms and stationery, but for devices too. And if you are the parent of a child with disabilities the costs are amplified.

Workbridge Chief Executive and Assistive Technology consultant Jonathan Mosen says there's a complexity of choice for aids to help pupils with visual and hearing impairment - and with that can come high price tags.

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Getting a good night sleep can be tough on a sticky summer night. It can be even harder for young kids - and their parents! - whose sleep schedules have been put out of whack by holiday adventures and longer daylight hours. Should parents be concerned if their children aren't getting enough shut-eye? And as the end of the holidays approach and a return to school looms what are some of the ways to get back into a good sleep routine? Professor Sarah Blunden is a clinical psychologist and Head of Paediatric Sleep Research at Central Queensland University in Australia.

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If you're the eldest child, the stereotype would have us believe you're responsible, conscientious and a bit bossy. Second born - more chilled out and creative and the youngest? Spoilt! But does birth order really influence personality? The evidence is not really there, says neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis, and personality is more to do with the circumstances into which we are born.

If you're the eldest child, the stereotype would have us believe you're responsible, conscientious and a bit bossy.

Second born - more chilled out and creative and the youngest? Spoilt! But does birth order really influence personality?

The evidence is not really there, says neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis, and personality is more to do with the circumstances into which we are born.

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If you've ever asked a young child how their day was, you might have got a couple of responses - either a blank stare, or a list of every single thing that had happened to them that day. Judith Hudson studies memory development in children and the development of children's understanding of time. Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey, she says the way parents interact and talk to their children helps develop the child's memory for the past, and their ability to think about and plan for future events.

If you've ever asked a young child how their day was, you might have got a couple of responses - either a blank stare or a list of every single thing that had happened to them that day.

Judith Hudson studies memory development in children and the development of children's understanding of time. Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey, she says the way parents interact and talk to their children helps develop the child's memory for the past, and their ability to think about and plan for future events.

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Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright on what NOT to say to parents concerned about their child's speech and language development. And he'll share strategies for dealing with these questions if they do arise.

Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright on what NOT to say to parents concerned about their child's speech and language development. And he'll share strategies for dealing with these questions if they do arise.

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A new podcast that's helping parents of disabled children navigate the tricky issues of sexuality, sex and sexual harm. The Courage Club brings parents of medically disabled or neuro-divergent kids together with experts over five episodes, seeking to encourage conversations that might normally be taboo or down the pecking order in terms of things to worry about. It's designed as a resource to help keep disabled kids safe. Kathryn is joined by Emily Writes, the Courage Club's host and mother to two high needs children. Also with me is Kathryn McPhillips, from Help - an organisation that supports Aucklanders who have been sexually abused and is one of the podcast's partners.

A new podcast that's helping parents of disabled children navigate the tricky issues of sexuality, sex and sexual harm.

The Courage Club brings parents of medically disabled or neuro-divergent kids together with experts over five episodes, seeking to encourage conversations that might normally be taboo or down the pecking order in terms of things to worry about. It's designed as a resource to help keep disabled kids safe.

Kathryn is joined by Emily Writes, the Courage Club's host and mother to two high needs children.

Also with me is Kathryn McPhillips, from Help - an organisation that supports Aucklanders who have been sexually abused and is one of the podcast's partners.

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Getting "jollied along" by a parent won't help an upset teenager learn how to deal with their own difficult feelings, says clinical psychologist Zara Mansoor. "One thing that's really challenging for parents - or just adults - is we want to get in, we want to fix things, we want to make things better. Actually, the most powerful thing we can often do is just sit with and keep ourselves calm," she tells Kathryn Ryan.

Getting "jollied along" by a parent won't help an upset teenager learn how to deal with their own difficult feelings, says clinical psychologist Zara Mansoor.

"One thing that's really challenging for parents - or just adults - is we want to get in, we want to fix things, we want to make things better. Actually, the most powerful thing we can often do is just sit with and keep ourselves calm," she tells Kathryn Ryan.

Listen to the interview

Zara Mansoor is a PhD candidate at the University of Otago in Wellington.

Related: Adolescence can be brutal - but parents can help reduce the risk (An article by Zara Mansoor for The Conversation)

We all experience strong emotion flipping the 'rational' part of our brain out of the driver's seat, Mansoor says, and young developing brains are particularly prone to such a flip.

"You see these incredible moments of empathy and perceptiveness and then your next minute, it's emotional overwhelm or shutdown."

In those moments, teenagers need coaching from an adult to regulate their emotions, she says.

This kind of coaching is a way that parents can both offer and model the thing the young person will benefit from most - empathy.

"We want to think about connecting with our young people, trying to understand what's going on for them and then help them understand.

"By saying 'Hey, looks like you had a really tough day, or you're really struggling with whatever' that is actually the best way that we can then get them to do that for somebody else later on."

If difficult emotions seem to be having a tangible negative impact on a young person's life, anxiety or depression may be a consideration, Mansoor says.

"Is it stopping them from doing the things they want to want to do? Is it interfering with schoolwork? Is it interfering with relationships or some of the more day-to-day things like eating and sleep?"

Anxiety often presents itself in the body as a stomach ache, headaches or just not feeling well, she says, and avoidance - suddenly not wanting to do things or go places - is another common sign…

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Sextortion, kids being groomed online, nudes being sent around kids, who should be blamed for that? Sex therapist Jo Robertson has advice about how to have those tricky chats with children and teens.

Sextortion, kids being groomed online, nudes being sent around kids, who should be blamed for that?

Sex therapist Jo Robertson has advice about how to have those tricky chats with children and teens.

Just last week police asked Taranaki intermediate and high schools to warn students about internet safety - this followed a student being extorted for money after sending nude photographs.

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If you ever ask a teenager what they're going to do after high school, you may notice them recoil. For many students in their final years of school this is an anxiety-inducing question. Career Coach Tracey Beard says that if we really want to help, we need to re-think 'the career conversation'. Tracey is the CEO, what she calls 'the chief encouragement officer', at Career Matters, a coaching service for students and caregivers.

If you ever ask a teenager what they're going to do after high school, you may notice them recoil.

For many students in their final years of school this is an anxiety-inducing question.

Career Coach Tracey Beard says that if we really want to help, we need to re-think 'the career conversation'.

Tracey is the CEO, what she calls 'the chief encouragement officer', at Career Matters, a coaching service for students and caregivers.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Bestselling author and psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg talks to Kathryn about creating and fostering the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Throughout time it has been a special relationship, but as lives get busier, retirement age stretches out and technology absorbs children - we're looking at key ways to navigate the complexities of connecting and staying in touch. Dr Carr-Gregg's latest book Grandparents - is a practical guide to navigating being a Nana or Grandad.

Parenting : Harmonious grandparenting

Bestselling author and psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg talks to Kathryn about creating and fostering the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Throughout time it has been a special relationship, but as lives get busier, retirement age stretches out and technology absorbs children - we're looking at key ways to navigate the complexities of connecting and staying in touch. Dr Carr-Gregg's latest book Grandparents - is a practical guide to navigating being a Nana or Grandad.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details