Sally Brinkman | The University of Western Australia (original) (raw)

Sally is a social epidemiologist with the majority of her research focusing on societies’ impact on child health and development. Sally is the Co-Director of the Fraser Mustard Centre, an innovative initiative between the Telethon Kids Institute and the South Australia Department of Education and Child Development aimed to improve research translation.

Sally is well known for spearheading the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in Australia, being the first to pilot the instrument outside of Canada. This has now culminated in the Australian Early Development Census implemented triennially across the entire country as a national progress measure of early human capability.

Internationally, Sally works with Governments and donor organisations such as the World Bank and UNESCO working with various measures of child development for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Recently Sally developed the "early Human Capability Index" that is now being used in Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Brazil, China and Laos. Unlike other measures of child development, the instrument is free and unlicensed in a aim to facilitate countries to monitor their children's development and to build local ownership, systems and capacity within countries.

Sally has over 100 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.

As such Sally brings locally, nationally and internationally recognized epidemiological skills particularly in relation to population monitoring of child development and education. She has a commitment to practical, pragmatic and translatable research.

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Papers by Sally Brinkman

Flinders University, 2017

Our research participants came from all walks of life, many different disciplines and workplaces,... more Our research participants came from all walks of life, many different disciplines and workplaces, and many communities. We thank you all for the multiplicity of opinions and experiences that enabled us to contextualise our final products to be reflective of real-life outcomes for children and the elements required for practice.

BMC Pediatrics, 2021

Background The idea of the ‘30 million word gap’ suggests families from more socioeconomically ad... more Background 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. Methods Families with either high or low maternal education were purposively recruited into a five-year prospective study. We report results from the first three waves of LiLO when children were 6, 12 and 18 months old. Day-long audio recordings, obtained using the Language Environment Analysis software, provided counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Results By the time children were 18 months old all three measures of talk were 0.5 to 0.7 SD higher among families with more education, but with large variation within education groups. Changes in talk from 6 to 18 months highlighted that families from low edu...

Developmental science, 2019

This paper examines the magnitude and source of gender gaps in cognitive and social-emotional ski... more 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 S.D. higher in tests of language and mathematics (cognitive skills) and between 0.18 to 0.27 S.D. higher in measures of social competence and emotional maturity (social-emotional skills). We use Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition to investigate the extent to which gender differences in early schooling and parenting practices explain these gender gaps in skills. For cognitive skills, differences in early schooling between boys and girls explain between 9 and 11 percent of the gender gap whereas differences in parenting practices explain merely 3 to 5 percent of the gender gap. This decomposition result is driven largely by children living in villages with high quality preschools. In contrast, for social-emotional skills, differences in parenting styles towards boys and girls explain between 13 and 17 pe...

the cultural integrity of the research methodology and community engagement processes. We acknowl... more the cultural integrity of the research methodology and community engagement processes. We acknowledge the advice of the project's national reference group who gave generously of their time and expertise in supporting the learnings from the pilot study being incorporated into the design and data collection methods for the AEDI National Program in 2009. We particularly thank all the Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, parents and other community members who generously participated in the many community forums, focus groups and individual consultations conducted in the development and evaluation of the adapted AEDI instrument. Finally, we express our thanks to the parents and other caregivers who gave consent to their children's participation in the study.

This is the fourth in a series of snapshot reports presenting results from a large-scale early ch... more This is the fourth in a series of snapshot reports presenting results from a large-scale early childhood education (ECE) study conducted in the northern provinces of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). The ECE study was initiated to evaluate the Early Childhood Education Project. The results presented here represent data collected on the availability of, and community access to, services and facilities, and how these relate to early child development, prior to the implementation of the project. Data will be collected again after the project has finished to see if the project has improved outcomes for children. This snapshot highlights that while the coverage of and access to early education services are not sufficient, where they are available these services are related to better levels of early child development.

International Encyclopedia of Education, 2010

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has a lasting impact on lifelong human development. Eva... more Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has a lasting impact on lifelong human development. Evaluations of existing programs are intended to measure their performance as well as inform future practice. In the first part of this article, types, goals, and uses of evaluation of ECEC are summarized, combining pragmatic and research perspectives, with an emphasis on methodological issues. In the second part, an overview of policy and contextual background is provided among challenges and controversies related to evaluation of ECEC programs. International perspectives are presented to highlight the necessity of learning from similarities and differences across countries.

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2020

Policy Research Working Papers, 2018

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Policy Research Working Papers, 2017

Policy Research Working Papers, 2016

Journal of Latino/Latin American Studies, 2014

This paper argues that from Aristotle's practical philosophy stem two different senses of προαίρε... more This paper argues that from Aristotle's practical philosophy stem two different senses of προαίρεσις, which are related to two different senses of deliberation as well. The first sense of προαίρεσις refers to the particular deliberated choices, where the sought after goal, the desire related to it and the means used in order to a ain it are particular in character and are all circumscribed to the particular situation where choice takes place. On the other hand, the second sense of προαίρεσις refers to those choices linked to goals over the intermediate and long term which, while they might be particular, seek ends that transcend the particularity of the given situation. To the first kind of προαίρεσις corresponds the "descending deliberation", while to the second kind corresponds the "ascending deliberation". Finally, an analysis

http://isrctn.org/>, 2012

PLoS ONE, 2013

Background: Measuring social inequalities in health is common; however, research examining inequa... more Background: Measuring social inequalities in health is common; however, research examining inequalities in child cognitive function is more limited. We investigated household expenditure-related inequality in children's cognitive function in Indonesia in 2000 and 2007, the contributors to inequality in both time periods, and changes in the contributors to cognitive function inequalities between the periods. Methods: Data from the 2000 and 2007 round of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) were used. Study participants were children aged 7-14 years (n = 6179 and n = 6680 in 2000 and 2007, respectively). The relative concentration index (RCI) was used to measure the magnitude of inequality. Contribution of various contributors to inequality was estimated by decomposing the concentration index in 2000 and 2007. Oaxaca-type decomposition was used to estimate changes in contributors to inequality between 2000 and 2007. Results: Expenditure inequality decreased by 45% from an RCI = 0.29 (95% CI 0.22 to 0.36) in 2000 to 0.16 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.20) in 2007 but the burden of poorer cognitive function was higher among the disadvantaged in both years. The largest contributors to inequality in child cognitive function were inequalities in per capita expenditure, use of improved sanitation and maternal high school attendance. Changes in maternal high school participation (27%), use of improved sanitation (25%) and per capita expenditures (18%) were largely responsible for the decreasing inequality in children's cognitive function between 2000 and 2007. Conclusions: Government policy to increase basic education coverage for women along with economic growth may have influenced gains in children's cognitive function and reductions in inequalities in Indonesia.

Trials, 2013

Background This paper presents the study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled t... more Background This paper presents the study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a supplementary matched control group. The aim of the trial is to evaluate a community-based early education and development program launched by the Government of Indonesia. The program was developed in collaboration with the World Bank with a total budget of US$127.7 million, and targets an estimated 738,000 children aged 0 to 6 years living in approximately 6,000 poor communities. The aim of the program is to increase access to early childhood services with the secondary aim of improving school readiness. Methods/Design The study is being conducted across nine districts. The baseline survey contained 310 villages, of which 100 were originally allocated to the intervention arm, 20 originally allocated to a 9-month delay staggered start, 100 originally allocated to an 18-month delay staggered start and 90 allocated to a matched control group (no intervention). The study c...

Social Indicators Research, 2014

Socio-environmental factors, including the neighbourhoods in which children live and grow, are ke... more Socio-environmental factors, including the neighbourhoods in which children live and grow, are key determinants of children's developmental outcomes. Thus, it is important to examine and consider the relationships between these factors and the multiple contexts that influence children. Drawing on a broad disciplinary range of existing research, we aimed to develop a conceptual model of neighbourhood effects influencing early childhood development. The neighbourhood effects literature was reviewed with a specific focus on existing models and frameworks. This review was then further expanded through consultation with our cross-disciplinary research collaboration (Kids in Communities Study Collaboration). From this a theoretical model specific to early childhood development was developed. The hypothesised model comprised five interconnected domains: physical, social, service, socioeconomic , and governance. A small trial of indicator measurement was conducted and findings were used to make a series of recommendations regarding measures or indicators which might provide useful and effective for neighbourhood effects research. The proposed model provides a useful and novel conceptual framework for classifying neighbourhood effects research. By synthesising disparate but related areas of research, the resultant five domains provide a useful approach to understanding and measuring child development in the context of community and environment, therefore advancing knowledge in this area. Expanding the current neighbourhood effects paradigm to accommodate broader constructs appears critical in considering the multiple environments that may act as key determinants of children's wellbeing and psychosocial outcomes.

Child Indicators Research, 2013

ABSTRACT

[Extract] Research shows that many challenges in adult society such as obesity, mental health pro... more [Extract] Research shows that many challenges in adult society such as obesity, mental health problems, heart disease and other chronic conditions, criminality, and competence in literacy and numeracy may have their roots in early childhood.1,2 Federal and state governments are therefore increasing investment in early childhood with the aim of improving future health and human capability formation. On an international scale, the World Bank’s current portfolio of early child development (ECD) projects totals US$1.7 billion in cumulative lending, the largest amount contributed in the global donor community. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also contributes billions of dollars annually to ECD initiatives in the developing countries.1The global challenge to improve ECD is hampered without an instrument that can be compared overtime and place to evaluate programs and compare their impacts both within and across countries. Acknowledgment of the lack of an internationally comparable indicator for ECD has been highlighted in a series of papers in The Lancet3–5, as well as in the 2010 Education For All Global Monitoring Report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).6 Implications for monitoring child development are also highlighted by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child7—each of the signed countries are responsible for providing children with the opportunities necessary to develop physical, cognitive, social and emotional capacities in early life. In Australia the Federal Government has acknowledged these challenges by investing more than $23 million in the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)8, and endorsing it as a National Progress Measure.9 Although the instrument was developed in Canada (as the Early Development Instrument (EDI)) in 199810, Australia started using the index in 200211 and was first to implement the instrument across the entire country.8The AEDI is the subject of a companion article in this issue of the Public Health Bulletin. The EDI is gaining attention as an internationally comparable population health and development measure for ECD, with the instrument now being used in 20 countries12 and endorsed by the World Bank and the United Nations.1 Part of its attraction is that the EDI is uniquely administered just like a census, and is a holistic measure covering five key child developmental domains (physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge).The AEDI has significant scope as an independent data source used in context with other geographically available social and demographic information together with local community knowledge. Repetitive use of the AEDI in successive cohorts enables monitoring of ECD across populations and time, as well as examination of trends for geographic areas. However, the investigation of risk and protective patterns in child development is generally undertaken using individual-level information—while the AEDI clearly shows a significant socioeconomic gradient in developmental vulnerability, there are still many children in middle-and upper-class Australia that are developmentally vulnerable. Although socioeconomics explains some of the variation in child development, there is still significant variation that requires better understanding of its complexities.8,13Linking various administrative datasets to the AEDI provides a potentially powerful person-specific longitudinal population-based dataset, which significantly increases our ability to investigate the complexities of developmental trajectories. Program and policy evaluation and economic models (such as the effectiveness of preventive interventions, which is traditionally hard to quantify) can also be investigated with such datasets.

Child Abuse & Neglect, 2020

Reading and numeracy attainment of children reported to child protection services: A population r... more Reading and numeracy attainment of children reported to child protection services: A population record linkage study controlling for other adversities.

Additional file 12: Table S12. Factor loadings from confirmatory factor analysis in Tuvalu.