It’s not just boys who are autistic

When it was first discovered more than 60 years ago, Asperger's syndrome was thought to be a male-only condition. But now that more and more girls are being diagnosed with it, why do we hear so little about them, wonders Joanna Moorhead

Weight measures

Everyone wants to teach families how to avoid obesity ... but who picks out which children need help? Jackie Kemp reports

Get moving

Leeds' childhood obesity project is trying some unusual steps to improve child health, finds Heather Welford

Breastfed children are brainier, study suggests

Study raises question of whether breast milk itself or associated maternal care responsible for boosting intelligence

Researchers link growth spurt in early childhood to obesity

Scientists find link between rapid growth as a baby and the long-term rise in a person's metabolism

Weight limit protects beach donkeys from overweight children

Guidelines introduced to protect traditional seaside donkeys from buckling under weight of obese youngsters

Cold comfort

The medicine cabinet offers reassurance when your child is poorly, but how safe are the drugs inside - and do we rely on them too much? By Lucy Atkins

Obesity rates start badly and get worse at primary school

London has worst problem in England and Wales

Persecuting chubby kids

Brendan O'Neill: The obesity scare is zapping the fun out of childhood and giving rise to the state-sponsored persecution of fat children

It’s never too early to fight the nation’s flab

Does government yet know how to reach down into the depths of society and change behaviour? Child obesity offers a critical test, says Anna Bawden

British study finds genetic link to child obesity

A study of more than 5,000 pairs of twins has found that a child's risk of becoming overweight is mostly down to nature, not nurture

Don’t believe the contraception industry: sex education doesn’t work

Response: Teaching children that sex is separate from marriage has led to untold misery, says Norman Wells