Being late to school can affect your child’s ability to learn, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. Getting out the door on time in the morning can be difficult, the academy acknowledges, suggesting these ways to get your child to school promptly and avoid absenteeism: Track your child’s attendance on a calendar. Make sure your…  read on >

Older women, beware: New research warns that drinking a lot of diet sodas or artificially sweetened fruit juices may increase your risk for stroke. In a study that tracked nearly 82,000 postmenopausal women, those who drank two or more diet drinks per day saw their overall stroke risk rise by 23 percent, compared with those…  read on >

If you think that sibling rivalry can border on brutality at times, you won’t be surprised by new research from British scientists. They found that children are more likely to be bullied by a sibling if they have more than one, and firstborn children and older brothers are most likely to bully siblings, a new…  read on >

New (and pricey) hepatitis C medicines, such as Harvoni and Sovaldi, are living up to their promise and greatly reducing patients’ odds for liver cancer and death, a new French study finds. The news came as little surprise to one U.S. liver expert. The advent of this class of drugs “has led to almost universal…  read on >

Children who have surgery for a broken elbow may be overprescribed potentially addictive opioid painkillers, a new study finds. Overprescription includes giving kids too many opioids when they are sent home — raising the risk that any leftover meds will be “diverted” for illicit use. “This study suggests that orthopedic surgeons really need to think…  read on >

Physical activity is closely linked to development of a child’s mental skills — ones essential to academic success and navigating challenges they’ll face throughout life. Studies show that boosts in thinking ability, or executive function, often follow bouts of activity. But only one-third of children are physically active every day. Less than half the time…  read on >

Young children with autism are more than twice as likely to have sleep problems than typical kids or those with other developmental delays, a new study reports. Several factors profoundly affect the sleep of 2- to 5-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), said lead researcher Dr. Ann Reynolds. They are more likely to resist their…  read on >

Widespread mammography screening and big advances in breast cancer treatment have saved hundreds of thousands of American women’s lives since 1989, a new study estimates. Researchers tracked 1990-2015 U.S. data on breast cancer deaths, along with general data, on women aged 40 to 84. They found the number of breast cancer deaths prevented during that…  read on >

Materials used in modern playgrounds, often plastics and rubber, can get very hot in the summer sun and are capable of burning a child’s skin, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. The agency offers parents this advice: A child can get a thermal burn even in mild weather. Watch for uncoated metal equipment, dark-colored plastics,…  read on >

Even if you think you can go to work when you have a cold or flu, you need to think about others, an infectious disease expert says. “I see a lot of patients whose jobs and stress make them feel torn between staying home and going in when they’re sick,” said Dr. Robin Wigmore. She…  read on >