What are children trying to tell us when they struggle at school?
Show notes
PsychTalks Season 5, Episode 5 | Published 23 September 2026
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What are children trying to tell us when they struggle at school?
Many children are struggling to attend school, but what if we've been getting the story wrong?
In this episode of PsychTalks, Associate Professor Sarah Knight and Natasha Staheli explore how children's distress is often mistaken for misbehaviour and why terms like "school refusal" can fail to capture the reality of many children's actual experiences, especially the role of neurodivergence and impact of masking.
Together, they look at what parents and educators can do to better support children so they feel safe, understood and ready to learn.
Yellow Ladybugs is a non-government organisation, dedicated to the happiness, success and celebration of autistic girls, women and gender diverse individuals.
About Associate Professor Sarah Knight
A/Prof Sarah Knight is a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher and educator with over 15 years of clinical and research experience. She is an Associate Professor within the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, where she leads the Neurodevelopment in Context Lab. Her work is driven by a passion for working collaboratively with diverse teams to improve the lives of children with neurodisability, particularly those who have experienced a brain injury or stroke.
Sarah is an Honorary Principal Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, and an Honorary Fellow Manager in Neurodisability and Rehabilitation at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. She is co-Chair of the Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Interest Group of the Australian Paediatric Neuropsychology Research Network (APNRN).
About Natasha Staheli
Natasha is the Policy and Advocacy Director at Yellow Ladybugs, a non-profit run by and for autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse folks, and their families.