Search
News & Events
How learning to talk is in the genesResearchers from Perth's The Kids Research Institute Australia have been part of an international study that has found that genetic factors contribute to the development of l
News & Events
Most late-talking toddlers turn out okThe study is the first of its kind to track language delay from two years of age through to late adolescence, using data collected from the long running Raine
Research
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
Research
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.
Research
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.
Research
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).
Research
The recruitment and retention of Speech and Language Therapists: What do university students find important?The increasing need for speech and language therapy (SLT) services, coupled with poor employment retention rates, poses serious cost-benefit considerations.
Research
Cerebral dominance for language function in adults with specific language impairment or autismA link between developmental language disorders and atypical cerebral lateralization has been postulated since the 1920s, but evidence has been indirect and...
Research
Common variation near ROBO2 is associated with expressive vocabulary in infancyIn this paper we conduct a genome-wide screen and follow-up study of expressive vocabulary in toddlers of European descent from up to four studies of the...