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Research

Language Development

Language is one of the most remarkable developmental accomplishments of early childhood. Language connects us with others and is an essential tool for literacy, education, employment and lifelong learning.

Research

Influences of bilingual input on English vocabulary size and academic outcomes: a large-scale longitudinal study following children in Australia from five to ten years

Research from large population-based studies investigating the language and academic outcomes for bilingual children is rare. The current study aimed to investigate the influence of dual language exposure on (i) English vocabulary outcomes at 5 years (126 bilinguals, 1675 monolinguals), and 10 years (vocabulary: 92 bilinguals, 1413 monolinguals:), and (ii) academic outcomes at 10 years (107 bilinguals, 1746 monolinguals).

Research

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.

News & Events

About the Australian Early Development Index

The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) program is conducted by the Centre for Community Child Health

News & Events

National snapshot of children's development

Nearly a quarter of Australian children could be developmentally at risk, according to the findings of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)

Research

The SLI construct is a critical link to the past and a bridge to the future

Commentary on Bishop, D. V. M., Ten questions about terminology for children with unexplained language problems.

Research

Factors for Children's Receptive Vocabulary Development from Four to Eight Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Variation in receptive vocabulary ability is associated with variation in children's school achievement, and low receptive vocabulary ability is a risk...

Research

Fetal Testosterone, Socio-Emotional Engagement and Language Development

The present study investigated the relations among fetal testosterone, child socio-emotional engagement and language development...

Research

Language, cognitive flexibility, and explicit false belief understanding: Longitudinal analysis in typical development and Specific Language Impairment

The hypothesis that language plays a role in theory-of-mind (ToM) development is supported by a number of lines of evidence.

Research

Maternal life events during pregnancy and offspring language ability in middle childhood

There is accumulating evidence for a link between maternal stress during pregnancy and later behavioural and emotional problems in children.