title: Developmental vulnerability--don't investigate without a model in mind.
abstract: Children who are developmentally vulnerable are at risk of a difficult start to school, and ongoing educational challenges which may adversely impact on long term health outcomes. Clinicians, researchers and service providers need a thorough understanding of both risk and protective factors and their complex interplay to understand their impact on early childhood development, in order to plan effective and comprehensive prevention and interventions strategies. In this opinion piece we recommend that investigation of developmental vulnerability should only proceed if underpinned by both a theoretical model through which the interaction between risk and protective factors may be investigated, and analytical models that are appropriate to assess these impacts.
authors.affiliation: Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woolfenden
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eapen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hayen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kemp
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: analytical models; developmental vulnerability; early child development; research methods; theoretical models