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Language DevelopmentLanguage 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 yearsResearch 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).
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The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of AutismNatural 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.
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Adolescent education outcomes and maltreatment: The role of pre-existing adversity, level of child protection involvement, and school attendanceMaltreated children are at high risk for low educational achievement, however few studies have accounted for confounding risk factors that commonly co-occur (including child, family and neighbourhood risk factors) and results have been mixed, particularly for adolescents.
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Heritability of Specific Language Impairment and Nonspecific Language Impairment at Ages 4 and 6 Years Across Phenotypes of Speech, Language, and Nonverbal CognitionNonverbal IQ is not on the same causal pathway as language impairments
News & Events
About the Australian Early Development IndexThe Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) program is conducted by the Centre for Community Child Health
News & Events
National snapshot of children's developmentNearly a quarter of Australian children could be developmentally at risk, according to the findings of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)
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Longitudinal study of language and speech of twins at 4 and 6 years: Twinning effects decrease, zygosity effects disappear, and heritability increasesThis study investigates the heritability of language, speech, and nonverbal cognitive development of twins at 4 and 6 years of age.
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How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age
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Factors for Children's Receptive Vocabulary Development from Four to Eight Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian ChildrenVariation in receptive vocabulary ability is associated with variation in children's school achievement, and low receptive vocabulary ability is a risk...