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News & Events

Breastfeeding Boosts Brain Power

Children who are mainly breastfed for the first six months (or longer) score significantly higher academically at 10 years of age, especially boys.

News & Events

The Kids researcher joins global program to enhance mental health of bubs

A The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher whose work focuses on the mental health of babies and young children has been chosen from a global field to become one of 20 new Zero to Three Fellows.

News & Events

It’s a draw! Creative study seeks kids’ drawings to help understand sibling dynamics

Children across Australia aged 4-12 years are being asked to grab their crayons, pencils or pens and create their best drawing of themselves and their siblings in a simple study that will help researchers learn more about sibling relationships.

Research

Language in Little Ones (LiLO)

The Language in Little Ones (LiLO) study is a five-year longitudinal study (2017-2021), funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council. The study investigates the quantity and quality of language exposure in the home environment during the first five years of a child’s life.

Research

Barriers to uptake and implementation of malaria chemoprevention in school-aged children: a stakeholder engagement meeting report

Malaria is a leading cause of death in school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa, and non-fatal chronic malaria infections are associated with anaemia, school absence and decreased learning, preventing children from reaching their full potential. Malaria chemoprevention has led to substantial reductions in malaria in younger children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Research

Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/hyperkinetic disorder of pediatric and adult populations in clinical settings: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Hyperkinetic Disorder (HD) is linked to increased risks of morbidity, comorbidity and mortality, with higher prevalence in clinical populations. The differential prevalence of ADHD/HD across adult and pediatric clinical populations, influenced by factors such as time trends, sex, age, geographic regions, and comorbidities, has not been systematically assessed.

Research

Evaluation of the Acceptability and Feasibility of the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Revised (SACS-R) Tool for Early Identification of Autism in Preterm Infants

Preterm birth is associated with a 3.3-fold increased likelihood of autism diagnosis, with lower gestational age conferring higher likelihood. In Australia, autism is typically diagnosed at around age four, potentially missing the optimal neuroplasticity window before age two. The Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Revised (SACS-R) tool identifies early autism signs in children aged 11-30 months, enabling pre-emptive intervention.

Research

Quantitative electroencephalogram and machine learning to predict expired sevoflurane concentration in infants

Processed electroencephalography (EEG) indices used to guide anesthetic dosing in adults are not validated in young infants. Raw EEG can be processed mathematically, yielding quantitative EEG parameters (qEEG). We hypothesized that machine learning combined with qEEG can accurately classify expired sevoflurane concentrations in young infants. Knowledge from this may contribute to development of future infant-specific EEG algorithms.

Research

Immune impacts of infant whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccination on co-administered vaccines

We compared the effect of a heterologous wP/aP/aP primary series (hereafter mixed wP/aP) versus a homologous aP/aP/aP primary schedule (hereafter aP-only) on antibody responses to co-administered vaccine antigens in infants and toddlers.

Research

The Association Between Breakfast Skipping and Positive and Negative Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes for Children and Adolescents in South Australia

The prevalence of child and adolescent breakfast skipping is concerning, and limited existing evidence suggests an association between skipping breakfast and negative emotional wellbeing outcomes. However, positive emotional wellbeing outcomes have been neglected from research in this space.