{"id":1342,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:15","slug":"cvc2026-634","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-634\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-634 \u2013 How little kids learn their languages: Developing an evidence base for young children learning Aboriginal languages in central Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-634<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">How little kids learn their languages: Developing an evidence base for young children learning Aboriginal languages in central Australia<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Carmel <\/strong><strong>O\u2019Shannessy<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> Australian National University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vanessa Davis, <\/strong>Tangentyere Council, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jessie Bartlett, <\/strong>Children\u2019s Ground, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alice Nelson,<\/strong> Pudendum School, Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-634 How little kids learn their languages: Developing an evidence base for young children le\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FU4VRbp3c2U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong> There is little evidence about how children learn to communicate in traditional Aboriginal languages in central Australia. Research-informed resources to help health and education professionals better understand children\u2019s paths of language development are needed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim: <\/strong>To develop research-informed, accessible tools and resources for families and health and education professionals about children\u2019s language development in central Australian Aboriginal languages. To develop a tool to track early vocabulary development.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method\/approach: <\/strong>We recorded interactions between adults and children in 26 families. We transcribed, translated, and analysed the recordings and created a corpus and a suite of tools and resources from this. Ethical approval was received from the Central Australian and Australian National University Human Research Ethics Committees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings: <\/strong>We developed a free, local online audiovisual tool, the Little Kids\u2019 Word List, and posters and animations that describe research findings in accessible formats. Families interact using embodied speech and hand signs and several languages, and support children\u2019s language development in many ways consistent with research across the world, and in local, culturally-specific ways.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>Families support child language development in ways consistent with worldwide research and in culturally-specific ways. Multilingualism supports connections to country and culture. The Little Kids\u2019 Word List allows children\u2019s language strengths to be documented, even if clinicians do not know the local languages.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families: <\/strong>You can use the Little Kids\u2019 Word List to see the words your child can say and understand in several of your family\u2019s languages. You can see how families support children\u2019s language development in the posters and animations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners: <\/strong>You can assess children\u2019s language development fairly in the languages they speak at home. You can better understand how families interact with young children from the animations and posters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding: <\/strong>Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (#FT190100243 Tracking early language, gesture and sign development of children speaking Aboriginal languages in Central Australia). Australian National University Futures Scheme Award.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Central Australia Indigenous languages, assessment, acquisition, development, vocabulary, interaction<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal4\">SDG 4: Quality Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG\u00a010: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carmel O\u2019Shannessy, Australian National University, Australia; Vanessa Davis, Tangentyere Council, Australia; Jessie Bartlett, Children\u2019s Ground, Australia; Alice Nelson, Pudendum School, Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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