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New clues into language developmentA world-first study from The Kids for Child Health Research has identified risk factors for receptive language development in Australian children.
News & Events
School success starts before birthLink between healthy growth in the womb and improved numeracy and literacy skills in early primary school.
Research
Review of the quality of evidence for preschool and school-based programs to support social and emotional skills, perseverance and academic self-conceptThis project provides guidance to help school leaders review the evidence for different programs, as well as a review of universal, evidence-based pre-school and school-based social and emotional learning programs available in Australia.
Research
Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) study protocol: A cross-sectional mixed-methods approach to measuring community-level factors influencing early child development in AustraliaThe Kids in Communities Study will test and investigate community-level influences on child development across Australia
Research
How well can poor child development be predicted from early life characteristics? A whole-of-population data linkage studyA targeted program would have the potential to prevent one-quarter of the cases of being vulnerable on two or more AEDC domains at age five
Research
How many infants are temperamentally difficult?In this letter, the authors respond to the commentary on Chong et al. “How many infants are temperamentally difficult?”; by correcting errors, & then...
Research
How many infants are temperamentally difficult? Comparing norms from the Revised Infant Temperament QuestionnaireThe aim of this study is to compare temperament scores from the original Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire against scores from a large...
Research
Neonatal skin: barrier, immunity and infection prevention in the NICUThe neonatal skin is central to early survival and immune development. Far from being a passive mechanical barrier, it integrates physical, chemical, and microbial defences that together protect the infant in the immediate postnatal period. In preterm infants, structural immaturity, reduced antimicrobial capacity, and altered microbial colonisation confer heightened vulnerability to infection and inflammation.
Research
Development of the Breastfed Infant Oral Microbiome Is Associated with Concentrations and Intakes of Human Milk OligosaccharidesHuman milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are bioactive carbohydrates abundant in human milk that shape the infant gut microbiome, yet their influence on the oral microbiome remains poorly understood. This study investigated associations between HMO concentrations and infant HMO intakes and the composition of the oral microbiome in predominantly and exclusively breastfed infants.
Research
Children arriving hungry in the first year of school: population trends in Australia from 2009 to 2021Access to adequate nutrition is a human right. In 2023, 23% of Australian households were severely food insecure, reducing food intake, skipping meals or days of eating. Food insecurity in early childhood is linked to poor health and development. Specifically, breakfast provides children with the necessary nutrients required for sustained attention, memory, and cognitive growth. Australian research has reported that one in three children aged 8–18 years regularly skip breakfast. However, there is little understanding of the prevalence of food insecurity among young children in Australia.