Measuring Early Child Development in Scotland:
Introducing the Early Development Instrument
Dr Rosemary GeddesCareer Development Fellow, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy
Professor John Frank
Director, Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy
Professor and Chair, Public Health Research and Policy, University of Edinburgh
Today’s presentation
• Early child development• Health inequalities• Measuring child development• Early Development Instrument• Tool for community change• How other countries do this• Our project• Timescales and steps involved
EARLY YEARS MATTER:
They set the stage for further development
`Sensitive periods’ in early brain development
Vision
0 1 2 3 7654
High
Low
Years
Habitual ways of responding
Language
Emotional control
Conceptualization
Peer social skills`Numbers’
Hearing
Graph developed by Council for Early Child Development (ref: Nash, 1997; Early Years Study, 1999; Shonkoff, 2000.)
“Pre-school” years
School years
What determines early child development?
• Genetics• Environmental factors – the world around
BreastfeedingSensitive nurturingReading and activitiesHealthy dietBeing treated with care and respect by those
around youGood parental role models
Life Course Problems Related to Early Life
2nd Decade
3rd/4th Decade
5th/6th
Decade Old Age
• School Failure
• Teen Pregnancy
• Criminality
• Obesity
• Elevated Blood Pressure
• Depression
• Addictions
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Diabetes
•Premature Aging
• Memory Loss
Source: Clyde Hertzman, Early Child Development: A powerful equalizer.
Outcome Most deprived Least deprived
Smoking during pregnancy¹ 38% 13%
Stillbirth 5.9/1000 live births 3.8/1000 live births
46m
Language development concerns² 26% 12%
Behaviour to other children 24% 10%
Total difficulties (on SDQ) 20% 7%
Dental caries age 5 years³ (odds) 4.6 1
Teenage pregnancy⁴ 3 x higher
Death in 15-44 year olds⁵ 5 x higher
45-74 year olds
Death due to CHD 3.8 x more likely
Death due to cancer 2.3 x more likely
Alcohol deaths 12.3 x more likely
Under-75 year old deaths 3.6 x more likely
Health inequalities in Scotland
Sources : 1. Gray R, Bonellie SR, Chalmers J, Greer I, Jarvis S, Kurinczuk JJ, et al. 2009. 2. Scottish Government. Growing Up in Scotland: Health inequalities in the early years. 2010. 3. Levin KA, Davies CA, Topping GV, Assaf AV, Pitts NB. 2009. 4. Scottish Government 2003. 5. Scottish Government Health Analytical Services Division 2008.
In Scotland babies born into these circumstances live, on average, 12 years less than …
… babies born into these circumstances.
Measuring child development
• No standardized way of measuring child development
• Health Visitor 6-8 weeks, next stop is school• School measures - height, weight, vision• No idea if children are ready for school• No idea if the 0-5 year old environments are
providing children with the support and stimulation they need to be ready for school
What is the EDI?
• The EDI is teacher-completed (20 minutes) checklist that assesses children’s readiness to learn when they enter school.
• It measures the outcomes of children’s pre-school (0-5 years) experiences as they influence their readiness to learn at school.
• As a result, the EDI is able to predict how children will do in primary school.
• The EDI does not report information about individual children’s development, rather groups of children.
What Does the EDI Measure?
1) Physical Health and Well-Being
Physical readiness for school day- e.g., arriving to school hungry
Physical independence- e.g., having well-coordinated movements
Gross and fine motor skills- e.g., being able to manipulate objects
turity
2) Social Competence
3) Emotional Maturity
Overall social competence- e.g., ability to get along with other childrenResponsibility and respect- e.g., accept responsibility for actionsApproaches to learning- e.g., working independentlyReadiness to explore new things- e.g., eager to explore new items
Pro-social and helping behaviour- e.g., helps other children in distressAnxious and fearful behaviour- e.g., appears unhappy or sadAggressive behaviour- e.g., gets into physical fightsHyperactivity and inattention- e.g., is restless
3) Emotional Maturity
4) Language & Cognitive DevelopmentBasic literacy- e.g., able to write own nameInterest in literacy/numeracy and memory- e.g., interested in games involving numbersAdvanced literacy- e.g., able to read sentencesBasic numeracy- e.g., able to count to 20
5) Communication Skills and General Knowledge
(No subdomains)- Ability to clearly communicate one’s own needs and understand others- Clear articulation- Active participation in story-telling (not necessarily with good grammar and syntax)- Interest in general knowledge about the world
Purposes of the EDI• Tells us what % of children are “vulnerable” in our
communities and in which development areas • Provides picture of what early learning looks like at
the community level• Reports on populations of children in different
communities over time• Identifies strengths and where the needs are greatest• One predictor of how children will do in primary
school• Identifies gaps in programmes and services
Benefits of EDI• paints a picture - EDI results yield neighbourhood profiles of early childhood for
every community in the district
• building more bridges – agencies that serve infants, toddlers & preschoolers have an opportunity to plan and enhance their services including parenting programmes
• planning – assists principals, schools and school boards to look forward to adjust school programmes to meet the needs of incoming students
• takes a village – emphasizes the role of the community before the child reaches school
• teachers tell us – doing the EDI helps focus their thoughts for report card writing, parent/teacher meetings and programme planning
• Look forward – adjust school programmes to meet the current needs of incoming students (schools).
• Look backward – adjust early childhood programmes to help ensure children are ready to learn and make it easier for them to make the transition to school (community).
Early experiences
Developmental outcomes
Success in school
EDI results
PredictInform
In terms of what we can influence
Example of community action from down under
Asset Mapping Perth East Metropolitan region, Proportion of children vulnerable on one or more domains
Prepared by: AEDI National Support CentreSource: AEDI Communities Data 2004/05
MucheaMucheaMucheaMucheaMucheaMucheaMucheaMucheaMuchea
Sawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers ValleySawyers Valley
MidlandMidlandMidlandMidlandMidlandMidlandMidlandMidlandMidland
WoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridgeWoodbridge
Middle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle SwanMiddle Swan
Swan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan ViewSwan View
Jane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane BrookJane Brook
StrattonStrattonStrattonStrattonStrattonStrattonStrattonStrattonStratton
North PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth PerthNorth Perth
Mount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount HawthornMount Hawthorn
MarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooMarangarooGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheenGirrawheen
KoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaKoondoolaBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajuraBallajura
MirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabookaWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminsterWestminster
BeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboroBeechboro
BalgaBalgaBalgaBalgaBalgaBalgaBalgaBalgaBalga
Alexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander HeightsAlexander Heights
DarchDarchDarchDarchDarchDarchDarchDarchDarch
GuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildfordGuildford
CavershamCavershamCavershamCavershamCavershamCavershamCavershamCavershamCaversham
GreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmountGreenmount
LockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridgeLockridge
Helena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena ValleyHelena Valley
Eden HillEden HillEden HillEden HillEden HillEden HillEden HillEden HillEden Hill
South GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth GuildfordSouth Guildford
DarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlingtonDarlington
Glen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen ForrestGlen Forrest MundaringMundaringMundaringMundaringMundaringMundaringMundaringMundaringMundaring
Mahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany CreekMahogany Creek
HoveaHoveaHoveaHoveaHoveaHoveaHoveaHoveaHovea
StonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStonevilleStoneville
ParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkervilleParkerville
Henley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley BrookHenley Brook
Herne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne HillHerne Hill
West SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest SwanWest Swan
MorleyMorleyMorleyMorleyMorleyMorleyMorleyMorleyMorley
HighgateHighgateHighgateHighgateHighgateHighgateHighgateHighgateHighgate
ChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlowChidlow
Upper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper SwanUpper Swan
EllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrookEllenbrook
BelhusBelhusBelhusBelhusBelhusBelhusBelhusBelhusBelhus
The VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe VinesThe Vines
Mount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount HelenaMount Helena
GidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannupGidgegannup
BullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrookBullsbrook
Proportion of children vulnerableN=Percent
34.4 to 63.924.5 to 34.318.5 to 24.410.5 to 18.4
0 to 10.4
East Metropolitan Perth, WA
3. Community asset mapping
The AEDI community planning process
1. Identifying areas of particular need
e.g. Mission Australia funds 3 year play group, language program & mums group at school
4. Mobilising community action
2. Assessing the local distribution of children’s
developmental vulnerability
Mirrabooka C4C - Change in AEDI Results from 2003-2009
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2003 (n=538) 2004 (n=354) 2008 (n=228) 2009 (n=589)
Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f C
hild
ren
Vu
lne
rab
le
Phys
Soc
Emot
Lang
Comm
Low 1+
WHO IS USING IT?
Conclusion• EDI provides communities with the opportunity
to better understand how they can allocate resources & concentrate their efforts to work towards improving outcomes for children.
• EDI is inexpensive & has been well-validated and used internationally with success
• EDI covers more domains of child development than most other similar instruments
• This ‘joined-up’ standardized holistic measurement of child outcomes provides an opportunity for information sharing and subsequent planning by all stakeholders in a local authority
EDI pilot project: East Lothian
• Preschool nursery schools• Assess children at end of nursery• Phase 1: smaller group of 20 teachers
assessing 220 children – test the Canadian-EDI for language, content, user-friendliness
• Adapt Canadian-EDI to a Scottish-EDI• Phase 2: larger pilot which assesses all
(approximately 1000) preschool nursery children in the year before P1
Logistics
Timelines• Phase 1: Dec 2010 to March
2011• Phase 2: June 2011• Reporting back to
stakeholders: October 2011
Stakeholders• Community leaders• Parent representatives• Local authority leaders• Preschool and school
representatives• Education authorities• Health authorities• Voluntary organisations
operating in East Lothian