International research utilizing the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as a measure of early child development: Introduction to the Special Issue

This opening paper presents the background to this Special Issue devoted to new international research using Early Development Instrument (EDI). The Canadian EDI and its adaptations to the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), as well as the Chinese version used in Hong Kong, are examples of an assessment tool that brings data on child development at 4–6 years to a population level, in an accessible, feasible, and psychometrically valid manner. EDI measures are increasingly being used by governments, at all levels of jurisdiction, as a means of monitoring the status of early childhood development and then tracking progress over time. Recent innovations linking administrative datasets with EDI data have enabled research into the predictors, correlates, and sequelae of developmental status in early childhood. The eleven papers included in this Special Issue represent thoughtful, systematic, theory-based programs of research, informed by the broad scope of the EDI and supported by the availability of data for large, normative populations and especially often under-reported sub-populations of children.