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How we measure language skills of children at scale: A call to move beyond domain-specific tests as a proxy for language

The aim of this research note is to encourage child language researchers and clinicians to give careful consideration to the use of domain-specific tests as a proxy for language; particularly in the context of large-scale studies and for the identification of language disorder in clinical practice.

The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of Autism

Natural Language Sampling (NLS) offers clear potential for communication and language assessment, where other data might be difficult to interpret. We leveraged existing primary data for 18-month-olds showing early signs of autism, to examine the reliability and concurrent construct validity of NLS-derived measures coded from video-of child language, parent linguistic input, and dyadic balance of communicative interaction-against standardised assessment scores. Using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software and coding conventions, masked coders achieved good-to-excellent inter-rater agreement across all measures.

Creating Equitable Opportunities for Language and Literacy Development in Childhood and Adolescence

The majority of children acquire language effortlessly but approximately 10% of all children find it difficult especially in the early or preschool years with consequences for many aspects of their subsequent development and experience: literacy, social skills, educational qualifications, mental health and employment.

The prevalence of and potential risk factors for Developmental Language Disorder at 10 years in the Raine Study

This study sought to determine the prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in Australian school-aged children and associated potential risk factors for DLD at 10 years.

Human Development and Community Wellbeing

The Human Development and Community Wellbeing (HDCW) Team focuses on improving outcomes for children, family, and the community.

Online health literacy resources for people with intellectual disability: protocol for a grey literature scoping review

People with intellectual disability are at risk of poor physical and mental health. Risks to health are compounded by poor health literacy, that is, reduced capacity to access health services, respond quickly to changes in health status and navigate care pathways. Building health literacy skills is a strength-based way to increase health and optimise the use of healthcare services. The internet is a primary source of health information for many people, including people with intellectual disability and their families. 

Decolonizing Schooling: Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers as Cultural Leaders in Australian Education

The Education Department of Western Australia advocates for culturally responsive schools. Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officers are employed by schools to facilitate and enable the potential for Aboriginal school children to thrive in school settings. 

Discovery of 42 genome-wide significant loci associated with dyslexia

Reading and writing are crucial life skills but roughly one in ten children are affected by dyslexia, which can persist into adulthood. Family studies of dyslexia suggest heritability up to 70%, yet few convincing genetic markers have been found.

Caregiver sensitivity predicts infant language use, and infant language complexity predicts caregiver language complexity, in the context of possible emerging autism

While theory supports bidirectional effects between caregiver sensitivity and language use, and infant language acquisition-both caregiver-to-infant and also infant-to-caregiver effects-empirical research has chiefly explored the former unidirectional path. In the context of infants showing early signs of autism, we investigated prospective bidirectional associations with 6-min free-play interaction samples collected for 103 caregivers and their infants (mean age 12-months; and followed up 6-months later).