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Associate Professor Yasmin Harman-SmithHead, Early Years Systems Evidence; Head, Tenders Support Unit
Research
Early literacy skills: review of evidence for pedagogical approaches that best support children’s early literacy skillsRecent evidence indicates that a child’s home learning environment is the strongest predictor of success in later reading abilities and that for children not receiving structured language and reading support at home.
Research
Basic epidemiology of wellbeing among children and adolescents: A cross-sectional population level studyWellbeing and mental health are fundamental rights of children and adolescents essential for sustainable development. Understanding the epidemiology of child and adolescent wellbeing is essential to informing population health approaches to improving wellbeing and preventing mental illness.
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
Borderline Personality Disorder and Peers: A Scoping Review of Friendship, Victimization and Aggression StudiesBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships. To date no reviews have scoped the extant research on peer relationship functioning for young people diagnosed with BPD or showing borderline personality features. The current review provides this scoping of studies on all facets of peer relationships, including friendship quality, peer victimization and bullying and peer aggression, and relevant studies of social–cognitive processes with relevance to peer relationships. From 282 studies identified up to August 2019, 39 studies were included for review.
Research
Measuring early child development in low and middle income countries: Investigating the validity of the early Human Capability IndexInclusion 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.
Research
Validity of the Middle Years Development Instrument for Population Monitoring of Student Wellbeing in Australian School ChildrenThis paper reports on a five-year project to measure student wellbeing across an education system using the Middle Years Development Instrument
Research
Factors Influencing Parental Acceptance of Trans Children and Young People: Findings from Trans PathwaysTrans youth are at high risk of mental health difficulties and negative life events. Strong parental support is highly protective however there is little understanding of what factors facilitate the process of parental understanding and acceptance of a child’s gender identity.
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
Trends in alcohol-related injury admissions in adolescents in Western Australia and England: Population-based cohort studyMore needs to be done to address alcohol-related harm, and on-going monitoring is required to assess the effectiveness of strategies.