Brad M. Farrant

Early vocabulary development: The importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading

The current study brought a bioecological approach to children’s early vocabulary development using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Relevant data were available for 2188 children (1119 male) who had a median age of 9 months (M = 9.3 months, SD = 2.1 months) at Wave 1 and a median age of 34 months (M = 34.2 months, SD = 2.5 months) at Wave 2. Results support the developmental importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading as well as the argument that the effects of individual (e.g., parent) and environmental (context) characteristics are primarily indirect, mediated through their impact on proximal processes (Bronfenbrenner, 1995). The evidence indicates that joint attention and parent-child book reading are important facilitators of children’s early vocabulary development.

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 (e.g., H. Lohmann & M. Tomasello, 2003). The current study sought to further investigate the relations between maternal language input, memory for false sentential complements, cognitive flexibility, and the development of explicit false belief understanding in 91 English-speaking typically developing children (M age = 61.3 months) and 30 children with specific language impairment (M age = 63.0 months). Concurrent and longitudinal findings converge in supporting a model in which maternal language input predicts the childs memory for false complements, which predicts cognitive flexibility, which in turn predicts explicit false belief understanding.

Parent-child book reading across early childhood and child vocabulary in the early school years: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Vocabulary knowledge is a critical component of school readiness. The current study investigated the extent to which low levels of joint attention in infancy and parent–child book reading across early childhood increase the risk of children having poor vocabulary around the time of school entry. Relevant data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were available for 2369 children (1211 boys) who had a median age of 9 months (M = 9.3 months, SD = 2.1 months) at wave 1 and a median age of 58 months (M = 58.0 months, SD = 2.5 months) at wave 3. As hypothesised, children who had low levels of joint attention at wave 1 were significantly more likely to have poor receptive vocabulary at wave 3. Furthermore, children who had low levels of parent–child book reading across early childhood were two and a half times more likely to have poor vocabulary at wave 3. These results converge with the findings of training studies and underline the importance of educating current and future parents about the pivotal roles of joint attention and parent–child book reading for children’s language development and hence their readiness for school.

Socio-emotional engagement, joint attention, imitation, and conversation skill: Analysis in typical development and specific language impairment

According to Racine and Carpendale’s constructivist theory, the acquisition of shared linguistic practice is grounded in the development of competence in shared forms of activity such as joint attention which are naturally embedded in socio-emotional engagement. The present study investigated the relationships among socio-emotional engagement, joint attention, imitation, and conversation skill by establishing a model of these relationships in 94 typically developing children (M age = 5;4) and further assessing this model in another group of 93 typically developing children (M age = 5;1) and 30 children with specific language impairment (M age = 5;3). Joint attention and imitation were found to mediate the relationship between socio-emotional engagement and conversation skill.

Maternal ethnicity, stillbirth and neonatal death risk in Western Australia 1998–2010

This study investigated the scale of difference in stillbirth and neonatal death rates in Western Australia (1998–2010) by maternal ethnicity. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) mothers, African mothers and mothers from ‘Other’ ethnic backgrounds were found to have increased risk of stillbirth compared with Caucasian mothers. Babies of Indigenous mothers also had increased risk of neonatal death. The gap between the stillbirth and neonatal death rates for Indigenous mothers and non‐Indigenous mothers did not close over the study period.

Climate Change and Children’s Health: A Commentary

This commentary describes the likely impacts on childrens health and wellbeing from climate change, based on the solid science of environmental child health. It describes likely climate change scenarios, why children are more vulnerable than older people to these changes, and what to expect in terms of diseases (e.g., infections, asthma) and problems (e.g., malnutrition, mental illness). The common antecedents of climate change and other detrimental changes to our society mean that in combatting them (such as excessive consumption and greed), we may not only reduce the harmful effects of climate change but also work towards a better society overall—one that values its children and their futures.

Early Vocabulary Development of Australian Indigenous Children: Identifying Strengths

The current study sought to increase our understanding of the factors involved in the early vocabulary development of Australian Indigenous children. Data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children were available for 573 Indigenous children (291 boys) who spoke English ( months, months, at wave 3). Data were also available for 86 children (51 boys) who spoke an Indigenous language ( months, months, at wave 3). As hypothesised, higher levels of parent-child book reading and having more children’s books in the home were associated with better English vocabulary development. Oral storytelling in Indigenous language was a significant predictor of the size of children’s Indigenous vocabulary.

Climate change, child health and the role of the paediatric profession in under-resourced settings

Le changement climatique et ses impacts sur la santé sont de plus en plus reconnus par les organisations médicales et les revues de pointe du monde entier. Cependant, à ce jour, il y a eu une focalisation insuffisante sur les impacts sur la santé des enfants, et encore moins, sur le rôle des professionnels de la santé pédiatriques en milieux défavorisés.

Maternal Attachment Status, Mother-Child Emotion Talk, Emotion Understanding, and Child Conduct Problems

Conduct problems that emerge in childhood often persist into adolescence and are associated with a range of negative outcomes. It is therefore important to identify the factors that predict conduct problems in early childhood. The present study investigated the relations among maternal attachment status , mother-child emotion talk, child emotion understanding, and conduct problems in a sample of 92 (46 males) typically developing children (M age = 61.3 months, SD = 8.3 months). The results support a model in which maternal attachment status predicts the level of appropriate/responsive mother-child emotion talk, which predicts child emotion understanding, which in turn negatively predicts child conduct problems. These findings further underline the developmental role of mother-child emotion talk as well as the importance of involving parents in programs designed to increase children’s emotion understanding and/or decrease the incidence of conduct problems.

Cognitive Flexibility, Theory of Mind, and Hyperactivity/Inattention

The present study analyzed the concurrent and longitudinal relations among cognitive flexibility, theory of mind, and hyperactivity/inattention in a sample of 70 typically developing children ( age = 61.4 months, SD = 8.3 months). Mothers and teachers reported on children’s hyperactivity/inattention using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (Goodman, 1997), cognitive flexibility was measured using the dimension change card sort task (Zelazo, 2006), and theory of mind was assessed using a battery of tasks. Cognitive flexibility and theory of mind scores were found to be significantly negatively correlated with the level of hyperactivity/inattention at both time points. Furthermore, year 1 cognitive flexibility score was found to be a significant predictor of year 2 hyperactivity/inattention score after controlling for child age, gender, and year 1 hyperactivity/inattention score. Directions for future research include training studies which would further our understanding of these relationships and allow more effective interventions.