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Background Vocabulary is a key component of language that can impact on children's future literacy and communication. The gap between Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children's reading and academic outcomes is well reported and similar to Indigenous/non-Indigenous gaps in other nations. Determining factors that influence vocabulary acquisition over time and may be responsive to treatment is important for improving Aboriginal children's communication and academic outcomes. Aim To determine what factors influence Australian urban Aboriginal children's receptive vocabulary acquisition and whether any of these are risks or protective for vocabulary development. Method One hundred thirteen Aboriginal children in South Western Sydney from the longitudinal birth cohort Gudaga study were assessed on The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test multiple times: 3 years, just prior to school entry, at the end of the first and second years of formal schooling. Multilevel models were used to determine the effects of 13 fixed and manipulable maternal, child, and family variables drawn from previous research. Results Higher maternal education was found to be protective at 3 years and over time. The number of children in urban Australian Aboriginal households made an impact on vocabulary development and this varied over time. From 3 to 6 years, those with early poor non-verbal cognitive skills had vocabulary skills that remained below those with stronger non-verbal skills at 3 years. Girls exhibit an earlier advantage in vocabulary acquisition, but this difference is not sustained after 4 years of age. Conclusions The risk and protective factors for vocabulary development in Australian Aboriginal children are similar to those identified in other studies with some variation related to the number of children in the home. In this limited set of predictors, maternal education, gender, non-verbal cognitive skills, and the number of children in households were all shown to impact on the acquisition of vocabulary to 3 years and or the developmental trajectory over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background While developmental surveillance programs promote early identification of child developmental problems, evidence has indicated suboptimal uptake. This study aimed to identify predictors of developmental surveillance completion at 6 months postpartum. Methods Questionnaires were administered to the parents of 510 infants who were born in south western Sydney, Australia over a 22-month period. Attendance for developmental screening and completion of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at 6 months postpartum were modelled separately using multivariable logistic regression. Results Developmental surveillance attendance was predicted by higher levels of maternal education, annual income and being informed about checks. PEDS completion at 6 months of age was predicted by higher income and being informed, as well as being married, employed, speaking English at home, full-term birth and the professional status of the practitioner completing the check. Conclusions Barriers to developmental surveillance included low socioeconomic status, linguistic diversity and possible gaps in parental knowledge and professional education. Developmental surveillance rates may be increased by the addition of targeted parental and professional support within current universal frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The knowledge on the type and influence of visuospatial ability on sonography performance relevant for ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia remains incomplete. The aim of this study was to determine whether four different factors of visuospatial ability are important in determining proficiency and procedure time of novices performing brachial plexus sonography. These factors were spatial visualisation, flexibility of closure, spatial relations and speed of closure.Methods: Thirty-three ultrasound novices were recruited in this prospective, observational trial. Five cognitive tests, from a standardised battery that assesses all four visuospatial factors, were administered to each participant at the start of the study. Each novice then performed brachial plexus sonography on a human model at baseline and final exams, separated by a discovery learning session. Novices were examined in their sonography performance by blinded assessors who scored proficiency, technique, image quality, and time taken to perform at both baseline and final scans.Results: Novices with intermediate and high visuospatial ability in spatial visualisation, spatial relations and speed of closure were significantly more proficient and efficient compared with their peers stratified into low-ability cohorts (P < 0.02). The Matrix Reasoning and the Mental Rotations Test-A were both correlated with sonography final exam scores (Spearman rank correlation ρ = 0.38 and 0.36, P = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively).Conclusions: Spatial visualisation, spatial relations and speed of closure, but not flexibility of closure, influence sonography performance. Visuospatial ability testing can identify novices who will require extra assistance in learning ultrasound relevant for regional anaesthesia. (Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry 12614000819628). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]