Program Head, International Child Development; Team Head, Child Health, Development and Education; Co-Director, Fraser Mustard Centre
BA MPH PhD
Professor Sally Brinkman is a social epidemiologist with the majority of her research focusing on societies' impact on child development in multiple countries. Sally is the Program Head of International Child Development and Team Head of Child Health, Development and Education for the Telethon Kids Institute. Sally is also the Co-Director of the Fraser Mustard Centre, an innovative initiative between Telethon Kids and the South Australian Department for Education aimed to improve research translation. Further, Sally holds an Adjunct Professor position with the University of Adelaide.
Sally is well known for spearheading the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), being the first to pilot the underlying instrument outside of Canada. Sally continues to work across the country with communities, service providers, and governments to help facilitate their use of the AEDC data. Internationally, Sally works with governments and donor organisations, such as the World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO, on various measures of child development for monitoring and evaluation purposes, with her primary focus in Pacific island countries and South East Asia.
Sally has over 160 publications including books, chapters, monographs, and journal articles covering topics such as infant mouthing behaviours, child physical activity and nutrition levels, the measurement of alcohol-related violence, the evaluation of teenage pregnancy prevention programs, how child development varies across communities, and the impact of socio-economics and service integration on child development.
Sally brings internationally recognised epidemiological skills, particularly in relation to population monitoring of child development and education. Recent highlights include being awarded a Career Development Fellowship from the NHMRC and being appointed by the Minister to the South Australian Child Development Council, recognising Sally’s commitment to practical, pragmatic, and translatable research.
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Projects
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Publications
May 2021
The education word gap emerges by 18 months: findings from an Australian prospective study
The idea of the '30 million word gap' suggests families from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds engage in more verbal interactions with their child than disadvantaged families. Initial findings from the Language in Little Ones (LiLO) study up to 12 months showed no word gap between maternal education groups.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development Language DevelopmentJune 2021Data Resource Profile: The South Australian Well-being and Engagement Collection (WEC)
Mental health and well-being during childhood and adolescence have been shown to impact on health, educational attainment and employment in adulthood.1–3 Although health and education systems worldwide have long recognized the importance of promoting student well-being,4–6 population-wide monitoring of well-being remains uncommon.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationSeptember 2021Findings from the Kids in Communities Study (KiCS): A mixed methods study examining community-level influences on early childhood development
There is increasing international interest in place-based approaches to improve early childhood development (ECD) outcomes. The available data and evidence are limited and precludes well informed policy and practice change. Developing the evidence-base for community-level effects on ECD is one way to facilitate more informed and targeted community action.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentNovember 2020Inequalities in child development at school entry: A repeated cross-sectional analysis of the Australian Early Development Census 2009-2018
Australia is the only developed country to consistently undertake a developmental census of its children nationwide. The repeated collection of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the prevalence of developmental vulnerability across Australia's states and territories, the socio-economic distribution of developmental vulnerability across jurisdictions, and how these distributions might have changed over time.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development School AttendanceAugust 2020Associations between School Readiness and Student Wellbeing: A Six-Year Follow Up Study
It is well established that children’s school readiness is associated with their later academic achievement, but less is known about whether school readiness is also associated with other measures of school success, such as students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While some previous research has shown a link between early social and emotional development and student wellbeing, results are mixed and the strength of these relationships vary depending on whether data is based on child, teachers or parents ratings and which specific student wellbeing outcomes are measured.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development School AttendanceJune 2020Measuring early child development in low and middle income countries: Investigating the validity of the early Human Capability Index
Inclusion of early child development in the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda raises issues of how this goal should be monitored, particularly in low resource settings. The aim of this paper was to explore the validity of the early Human Capability Index (eHCI); a population measure designed to capture the holistic development of children aged 3-5 years. Convergent, divergent, discriminant and concurrent validity were examined by exploring the associations between eHCI domains and child (sex, age, stunting status, preschool attendance) and family (maternal education, home learning environment) characteristics. Analyses were repeated using data from seven low and middle income countries.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJune 2020Measuring early childhood development with The Early Human Capability Index (eHCI): a reliability and validity study in China
With the importance of early childhood development more recognized by the international society, low-cost and cross-culturally comparable measures of early childhood development is in great demand, both in China and worldwide. In this study, we aim to test the psychometrics of the Chinese version of The Early Human Capability Index (eHCI), which is designed as a measurement for school readiness in large population.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationMay 2020Overcoming challenges in measuring early childhood development across cultures
These challenges in measuring early childhood development are exacerbated when making comparisons across cultures
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationMay 2020Exploring Associations Between Playgroup Attendance and Early Childhood Development at School Entry in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Population-Level Study
Children who attended playgroup had better development at school entry relative to those who had not attended playgroup
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationMarch 2020Reading and numeracy attainment of children reported to child protection services: A population record linkage study controlling for other adversities
A cross-agency response to supporting educational attainment for all children reported to child protection services is required
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationFebruary 2020How 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
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Language DevelopmentMay 2019Local Housing Characteristics Associated with Early Childhood Development Outcomes in Australian Disadvantaged Communities
Access to safe, secure, and stable housing is a well-known social determinant of health
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2019Validity of the Middle Years Development Instrument for Population Monitoring of Student Wellbeing in Australian School Children
This paper reports on a five-year project to measure student wellbeing across an education system using the Middle Years Development Instrument
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2019Implementing and Evaluating Interventions to Improve School Readiness and Early Literacy
The implementation of the Pacific early age readiness and learning program has generated significant data, evidence, operational experience, and knowledge
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationSeptember 2019Investing in school readiness: A comparison of different early childhood education pathways in rural Indonesia
This paper documents that children in rural Indonesia participate in a great variety of early childhood education pathways
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentDecember 2019Measuring early childhood development in multiple contexts: the internal factor structure and reliability of the early Human Capability Index in seven countries
Findings support the aims of the early Human Capability Index in being adaptable and applicable for use within a range of low and middle income countries
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentDecember 2019Gender gaps in cognitive and social-emotional skills in early primary grades: Evidence from rural Indonesia
This paper examines the magnitude and source of gender gaps in cognitive and social-emotional skills in early primary grades in rural Indonesia. Relative to boys, girls score more than 0.17 SD higher in tests of language and mathematics (cognitive skills) and between 0.18 and 0.27 SD higher in measures of social competence and emotional maturity (social-emotional skills).
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationDecember 2018Early developmental risk for subsequent childhood mental disorders in an Australian population cohort
We examined associations between developmental vulnerability profiles determined at the age of 5 years and subsequent childhood mental illness between ages 6 and 13 years in an Australian population cohort.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationOctober 2018Cohort Profile: The New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS)-Wave 2 (child age 13 years)
The New South Wales Child Development Study was established to enable a life course epidemiological approach to identifying risk and protective factors
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationSeptember 2018Childhood Maltreatment and Early Developmental Vulnerabilities at Age 5 Years
This study examined associations between maltreatment and early developmental vulnerabilities in a population sample of 68,459 children
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2018Latent profiles of early developmental vulnerabilities in a New South Wales child population at age 5 years
Patterns of early childhood developmental vulnerabilities may provide useful indicators for particular mental disorder outcomes in later life
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationFebruary 2018Investment in child and adolescent health and development: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition
The realisation of human potential for development requires age-specific investment throughout the 8000 days of childhood and adolescence.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationFebruary 2018The social impacts of mining on local communities in Australia
Mining developments are being required to consider how they affect local communities and implement strategies to minimise negative impacts they may be causing
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJanuary 2017The impact of expanding access to early childhood education services in rural Indonesia.
This article examines the relationship between preschool quality and children’s early development in a sample of over 7900 children enrolled in 578 preschools in rural Indonesia.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education School AttendanceFebruary 2017Validity and Reliability of the Early Development Instrument in Indonesia
This study finds that the EDI shows moderate validity and reliability in poor communities in Indonesia and highlights some of the difficulties associated with adapting western instruments for non-western cultures and contexts.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentMarch 2017Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) study protocol: A cross-sectional mixed-methods approach to measuring community-level factors influencing early child development in Australia
The Kids in Communities Study will test and investigate community-level influences on child development across Australia
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentApril 2017Creating community indicators for early childhood development: challenges and innovations from the kids in communities study
The community (or neighbourhood) is seen as a potential point of intervention for improving early childhood development outcomes through place-based approaches targeting all children. Yet there are insufficient robust data to guide policy and practice. Developing community factors for early childhood development is one way to facilitate more informed, evidence-based community action. This paper discusses the methodological learnings from the Kids in Communities Study, an Australian investigation into community-level factors important for early childhood development, including some of the challenges and innovations associated with the measurement and development of indicators.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationMay 2017Associations of Early- and Later-Childhood Poverty with Child Cognitive Function in Indonesia: Effect Decomposition in the Presence of Exposure-Induced Mediator-Outcome Confounding
Our analysis shows that early and late intervention to support household income have equal importance with regards to significance of impact.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2017The role of preschool quality in promoting child development: evidence from rural Indonesia
This article examines the relationship between preschool quality and children’s early development in a sample of over 7900 children enrolled in 578 preschools in rural Indonesia.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2017The 2015 Middle Childhood Survey (MCS) of mental health and well-being at age 11 years in an Australian population cohort
most children report mental health and well-being, but the population distribution spanned the full range of possible scores on every construct.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2017Validation of the Early Development Instrument in Indonesia
This study finds that the Early Development Instrument shows moderate validity and reliability in poor communities in Indonesia
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJuly 2017Indicators Built environment Child development Socio-economic standards
These findings could inform policy making to reduce inequities by assisting in policy and service delivery design targeted to community needs.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationSeptember 2017A randomized controlled evaluation of a secondary school mindfulness program for early adolescents: Do we have the recipe right yet?
Further research is required to identify the optimal age, content and length of mindfulness programs for adolescents in universal prevention settings.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Youth HealthNovember 2017Relationship between the neighbourhood built environment and early child development
The relationship between features of the neighbourhood built environment and early child development was investigated
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Human CapabilityDecember 2017Effects of maltreatment and parental schizophrenia spectrum disorders on early childhood social-emotional functioning: a population record linkage study
We used data from a large Australian population to determine the independent and moderating effects of maltreatment and parental SSDs on early childhood.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationNovember 2016Efficacy of infant simulator programmes to prevent teenage pregnancy: a school-based cluster randomised controlled trial in Western Australia
The infant simulator-based Virtual Infant Parenting programme did not achieve its aim of reducing teenage pregnancy
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationNovember 2016Lao PDR. Early childhood education project Snapshot one: project background and baseline data demographics
This snapshot describes demographic information of the 7,520 children in the baseline sample, including where and how they live.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentNovember 2016Lao PDR early childhood education project : snapshot four - services and facilities
This snapshot highlights that early education services are related to better levels of early child development, but coverage and access is not sufficient
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentNovember 2016Lao People's Democratic Republic – Early Childhood Education Project : snapshot two – child health and nutrition
This snapshot highlights that child under nutrition is a serious public health issue in Northern Laos PDR
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentNovember 2016Lao PDR early childhood education project : snapshot three - child development
This snapshot highlights that children in Northern Lao PDR are developing poorly, with disparities in child development across different ethnic groups and family backgrounds
September 2016Hospital admission for infection during early childhood influences developmental vulnerabilities at age 5 years
This study demonstrates a pervasive effect of early life infections that require hospital admission on multiple aspects of early child development
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationSeptember 2016Investing in School Readiness : An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education Pathways in Rural Indonesia
This paper presents evidence on the cost-effectiveness of early childhood education pathways in rural Indonesia
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentSeptember 2016Gender Gaps in Cognitive and Non Cognitive Skills in Early Primary Grades: Evidence from Rural Indonesia
This paper examines gender gaps in cognitive and non-cognitive skills among a sample of more than 10,000 children between the ages of 6 and 9 in rural Indonesia
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentAugust 2016Effects of maltreatment and parental schizophrenia spectrum disorders on early childhood social-emotional functioning: a population record linkage study
Childhood maltreatment and history of parental SSD are associated independently with poor early childhood social-emotional functioning
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2016New South Wales child development study (NSW-CDS): An Australian multiagency, multigenerational, longitudinal record linkage study
Identify risk and protective factors for later childhood-onset and adolescent-onset mental health problems, and other adverse social outcomes
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2016Effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program for transdiagnostic prevention in young adolescents
Investigated mindfulness as a prevention program for anxiety, depression and eating disorders in early secondary school
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Depression and AnxietyJune 2016A review of Let’s Read in the context of the South Australian Service Setting
Independent review of the Let’s Read literacy support program in South Australia and how it fits within the mix of services in South Australia that support the development of children’s emergent literacy
June 2016Community Development Coordinator Role Consultation: Consultation Report
This report will outline the theory and evidence base for Community Development and Community Engagement, report on consultation activities and findings
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentApril 2016The role of preschool in promoting children’s healthy development: Evidence from an Australian population cohort
Engagement with preschool programs in Australia may present a plausible, equitable, and modifiable approach to improving children's developmental outcomes
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJanuary 2016The Role of Preschool Quality in Promoting Child Development: Evidence from Rural Indonesia
This paper reports on the quality of early childhood education in rural Indonesia
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJanuary 2016Exploring change in the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument
Calculating a critical difference for the percentage of children who are “at risk” and “on track” in addition to the children who are developmentally “vulnerable”
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016It takes a village to raise a child: The influence and impact of playgroups across Australia
Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of Community Playgroups across Australia
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016Exploring local government areas with significant shifts in child development between 2009 and 2012 on the Australian Early Development Census
This project analysed AEDC results across Australia, to identify communities with significant improvement (decreases in developmental vulnerability) between 2009 and 2012
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016How well can poor child development be predicted from early life characteristics? A whole-of-population data linkage study
A 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
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016International research utilizing the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as a measure of early child development: Introduction to the Special Issue
This opening paper presents the background to this Special Issue devoted to new international research using Early Development Instrument
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentOctober 2015Investigation of the Cross-National Equivalence of a Measurement of Early Child Development
This research paper reports on the results of investigating measurement invariance of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in two South-Asian countries.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2015Application of a marginal structural model and simulation of a cash transfer programme
Parental investments in children are an important determinant of human capability formation.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationMarch 2015A whole-of-population study of term and post-term gestational age at birth and children's development
Relative risks of developmental vulnerability for each week of gestation were calculated with adjustment for confounders and addressing missing information.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentSeptember 2014Anaemia of Pregnancy, Perinatal Outcomes and Children's Developmental Vulnerability: a Whole-of-Population Study
The aim of this study is to examine whether anaemia of pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and with children's developmental vulnerability.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education NutritionJuly 2014Socioemotional Development and its Correlates among 5-year-old Children in Peru and Brazil
This paper describes a teacher-completed measurement of child development status applied in seven communities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and in three...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJune 2014Early development of emerging and English-proficient bilingual children at school entry in an Australian population cohort
Children who enter school with limited proficiency in the language of instruction face a range of challenges in negotiating this new context, yet limited...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development Language DevelopmentMay 2014Investigation of the Cross-National Equivalence of a Measurement of Early Child Development
The present study examined the psychometric properties of the domains of the 48-item EDI and the invariance of the measurement models of the domains of the...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentApril 2014Data resource profile: The Australian early development index (AEDI)
This paper describes the Australian Early Development Index, a developmental census conducted by the Australian Government across the entire population of...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentFebruary 2014Neighbourhood Effects Influencing Early Childhood Development: Conceptual Model and Trial Measurement Methodologies from the Kids in Communities Study
Socio-environmental factors, including the neighbourhoods in which children live and grow, are key determinants of children's developmental outcomes.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2014Birth outcomes and academic achievement in childhood: A population record linkage study
This study used population-based record linkage to examine the association between early life risk factors and academic achievement.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2014The AEDI: From Research to Policy
Here we summarise some recent research using the AEDI data and show how the Fraser Mustard Centre is using such research to help inform policy-makers.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentOctober 2013Changes in Socioeconomic Inequality in Indonesian Children’s Cognitive Function from 2000 to 2007: A Decomposition Analysis
Measuring social inequalities in health is common; however, research examining inequalities in child cognitive function is more limited.
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationAugust 2013Evaluating a community-based early childhood education and development program in Indonesia: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial
The aim of the trial is to evaluate a community-based early education and development program launched by the Government of Indonesia.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentApril 2013Associations Between the Early Development Instrument at Age 5, and Reading and Numeracy Skills at Ages 8, 10 and 12: a Prospective Linked Data Study
The objective of this paper is to determine how well the EDI predicts a child's later literacy and numeracy outcomes as assessed by the National Assessment...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentFebruary 2013Methodological approach to exploring change in the Australia Early Development Instrument (AEDI): The estimation of a critical difference
This report provides the technical details for the methodology calculated to determine "how big" a difference in the AEDI results between 2009 and 2012 is...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2013Young Children in Indonesia's Low-income Rural Communities: How are they doing and what do they need?
This chapter describes the development of young children in a sample of poor rural communities across Indonesia.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2013Early Childhood Research and Indonesia's Young Children
This chapter assesses what global evidence tells us about the importance of early childhood education and development...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2013Childhood Education and Development Services in Indonesia
Although children's later experiences can still have an effect, developments in early childhood have long-lasting effects on health, behaviour and learning...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentSeptember 2012Jurisdictional, socioeconomic and gender inequalities in child health and development:
Early child development may have important consequences for inequalities in health and well-being. This paper explores population level patterns of child...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development Human CapabilityApril 2011Validity and Psychometric Properties of the Early Development Instrument in Canada, Australia, United States, and Jamaica
There is an increasing support from international organizations and the research community for stepping beyond infant or child mortality as the most common...
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentOctober 2010Study protocol for the evaluation of an Infant Simulator based program delivered in schools:
This paper presents the study protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a school based program developed to prevent teenage
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationOctober 2010Inequalities in child healthy development: some challenges for effective implementation
Inequalities in child healthy development: some challenges for effective implementation
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2010Evaluating Early Childhood Education and Care
Evaluating Early Childhood Education and Care
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development -
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