Early childhood development over time for a cohort of Australian Aboriginal children living in an urban environment

Child development for a cohort of urban Aboriginal children was assessed at three time points: 12 months, 3 years and 4.5 years. This paper reports developmental findings and explores the impact of child, family, home and community variables over time. Overall, child development at 4.5 years was significantly below the standardised mean. Female gender, preschool attendance, and having 10+ child-appropriate books in the home were significantly related to better performance. Over time the children demonstrated strengths in the locomotor and personal-social domains. Maternal factors were most predictive of performance at 3 years. These results are discussed in relation to their meaning within the Aboriginal community.