Overview

This study is internationally unique in its coverage from the first year of life and in its depth of data from multi-source informant questionnaires of:

• direct assessment in language-related dimensions (speech, vocabulary, fluency literacy, cognition)
• psycho-social and educational domains (social, emotional and behavioural development
• quality of life, educational achievement, health care utilisation) and
• linkage to nationally acquired academic achievement data.

Researchers can visit Lifecourse to view a full list of domains and measures used at each wave of the study.

• Lifecourse website

ELVS was designed to better understand language development, trajectories from infancy through to middle childhood, the emergence of language difficulties, and factors that predict later outcomes. This information will be helpful in developing early intervention and prevention programs for children.

Information for participants

ELVS families have so far helped researchers understand many aspects of communication development, including:

• Language
• Stuttering
• Genes and language development
• Multilingual development
• Speech sound disorders
• Links between memory and language
• Autistic spectrum disorder

ELVS is very lucky to have such committed families taking part over the years.

What has happened so far?

Recruitment: ELVS Babies

The Early Language in Victoria Study (ELVS) began in September 2003, and over 1900 families joined ELVS when their babies were eight to 10 months old. ELVS continued following the children until September 2007, when they had all turned four.

ELVS Children

In 2008, ELVS families were invited to take part in a new and exciting phase of the study. The aim was to understand language and reading development in the early school years. We are delighted that many families continue on our ELVS journey with us.

ELVS Adolescents

In 2012, the ELVS team was successful in receiving funding to follow up all the children when they were adolescents. Almost 1000 children were close to their 11th birthday, and parents and teachers provided data via questionnaires about communication and literacy skills. In 2016, researchers continued to collect data as the ELVS participants turned 13 years old. This has been helping provide some of the most comprehensive data ever gathered to examine how language continues to develop as children move into adolescence and settle into secondary school.

ELVS Adults

In 2020, the ELVS team was successful in receiving funding to follow ELVS participants during their late teenage years and into early adulthood. We began Phase II of this project when the participants were completing their final years of formal schooling. This follow-up aims to find out more about how language continues to develop as young people transition into adulthood and begin making decisions about their education, occupation, health, and wellbeing. This follow-up is being carried out by members of the ELVS Investigator Team based at the University of Melbourne.

Have your contact details changed?

If you have recently changed your contact details, please let us know. We would love to stay in touch.

Research team

ELVS is a longitudinal study of language development in Victorian children funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The study has been approved by the Royal Children's Hospital Ethics Committee.

Current phase

Phase II of the ELVS is being carried out by members of the ELVS Investigator Team based at the University of Melbourne. Please visit the to see who’s involved.  

• Current ELVS team - The University of Melbourne

Previous phases

During the initial waves when ELVS participants were babies through to early adolescents, the project was based at The Royal Children's Hospital. Researchers were from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, La Trobe University, the University of Melbourne, Macquarie University and the University of Sydney. The team included speech pathologists, a paediatrician, psychologists, linguists, researchers, biostatisticians, health economists, and an epidemiologist.

Publications

ELVS has published over 70 academic journal articles. We have listed the most recent publications below.

Eadie P, Levickis P, Mckean C, Westrupp E, Bavin E, Ware R, Gerner B, Reilly S. (2022). Developing Preschool Language Surveillance Models-Cumulative and Clustering Patterns of Early Life Factors in the Early Language in Victoria Study Cohort. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 10: 18-. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.826817

Reilly S, Cook F, Bavin EL, Bretherton L, Cahir P, Eadie P, Gold L, Mensah F, Papadopoullos S, Wake M. Cohort Profile: The Early Language in Victoria Study (ELVS). Int J Epidemiol. 2018 Feb 1;47(1):11-20. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyx079. PMID: 29040559.

McKean C, Wraith D, Eadie P, Cook F, Mensah F, Reilly S. (2017). Subgroups in language trajectories from 4 to 11 years: The nature and predictors of stable, improving and decreasing language trajectory groups. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 58(10):1081-1091.

Reilly S, Wake M, Ukoumunne O, Bavin EL, Prior M, Cini E, Conway L, Eadie P, Bretherton L. (2010). Predicting language outcomes at 4 years: Longitudinal findings from the Early Language in Victoria Study. Pediatrics. 126(6):e1530-7.

McKean C, Reilly S, Bavin EL, Bretherton L, Cini E, Conway L, Cook F, Eadie P, Prior M, Wake M, Mensah F. (2017). Language outcomes at 7 years: Early predictors and co-occurring difficulties. Pediatrics. e20161684. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1684.

Eadie P, Bavin EL, Bretherton L, Cook F, Gold L, Mensah F, Wake M, Reilly S. (2021). Predictors in infancy for language and academic outcomes at 11 years. Pediatrics. 147(2).

Reilly S, Onslow M, Packman A, Cini E, Conway L, Ukoumunne OC, Bavin EL, Prior M, Eadie P, Block S, Wake M. (2013). Natural history of stuttering to 4 years of age: A prospective community-based study. Pediatrics. 132(3):460-467.

More can be found here:

• Full list of publications - The University of Melbourne