Dr Sally Brinkman in Adelaide leads nation's first Australian Early Development Census of five-year-old children
Adelaide-based associate professor Dr Sally Brinkman spearheaded what became the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) that measured more than 300,000 children in how they have developed by the start their first year of full-time school. Brinkman's international work included a study of effectiveness of playgroups (at right) in Tonga.
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Adelaide-based Dr Sally Brinkman became a world leader in measuring child development across populations, having developed Australia’s national census on the impact of society on children's short and long term outcomes.
A social epidemiologist, Brinkman spearheaded what became the Australian Early Development Census that measured more than 300,000 children in how they have developed by the start their first year of full-time school. The census captured all aspects of development including social and emotional skills, communication skills, physical health and language and cognitive development in five-year-olds. Brinkman was honoured with a national research excellence award for her work in setting up the Australian Early Development Census and improving the health and development of young children, particularly those in highly disadvantaged communities.
Brinkman was an adjunct associate professor at Adelaide University, a professor at University of South Australia education futures and a director of the Fraser Mustard Centre linking research into child development between the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth and the South Australian government education department.
Brinkman also worked for international organisations including the World Bank, the United National International Children's Emergency Fund, the Bernard Van Leer Foundation and the Australian government foreign affairs department’s AusAID.
Tonga was a country that called on Brinkman’s expertise to study the benefits of its community playgroups on childhood development. Working with the Tongan community, Brinkman created a new measure of child development: the early human capability index – culturally appropriate and locally owned – from a 2014 census including all the Pacific nation's children aged three to five. After the census, Brinkman, along with the World Bank and the South Australian Playgroups Association, led the delivery of community playgroups throughout Tonga.
Brinkman produced more than 100 publications covering topics such as infant mouthing behaviours, child physical activity and nutrition levels, measuring alcohol-related violence, pregnancy prevention programmes, and how child development varied across communities.
