Dr Laetitia Coles
Research Fellow
Queensland Brain Institute
+61 7 344 36381
Researcher biography
Dr Laetitia Coles is a health sociologist whose research focuses on improving health and developmental outcomes for children with disability by embedding lived experience into research design, policy, and practice. Her work spans sociology, education, and health, with a strong emphasis on early childhood inclusion, family wellbeing, and workforce development.
Laetitia leads transdisciplinary research projects that centre the voices of children, families, and educators. She leads the Workforces component of the Thriving Queensland Kids Brain Builders Initiative (https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-builders) in support of the generation, translation, and application of knowledge from neurosciences into policy and practice, as well as leading the award-winning project entitled Families in Focus: Amplifying the voices of children with disability and their families (https://child-health-research.centre.uq.edu.au/event/5632/families-focus), in collaboration with Queensland Children's Hospital.
She was recently awarded a HERA Collaborate grant for the project Early childhood inclusion in focus, which co-develops tools and priorities to support inclusive early childhood education and care (ECEC). She is also the Workforces Lead for the $3 million Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership – Brain Builders Initiative.
With over $3.5 million in research funding and a portfolio of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and policy reports, Laetitia's work has informed strategic planning at Children's Health Queensland and contributed to national policy evaluations. She sits on the Foundational Supports 0–9 Working Group (Autism Queensland) and serves on editorial boards for Health Sociology Review and Community, Work and Family.
Laetitia welcomes collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and community organisations committed to inclusive, impact-driven research.
| Featured projects | Duration |
|---|---|
|
STARS Australian Research Council |
2020 |
Publications
Book Chapters
Coles, Laetitia, Selvam, Eshaa and Chawla, Jasneek (2025). Families caring for a child with disability. The Palgrave encyclopedia of disability. (pp. 1-14) edited by Gabriel Bennett and Emma Goodall. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_93-1
Coles, Laetitia, Dayan, Yael, Reich-Shapiro, Mindi and Li, Minyi (2025). Methodology for an international collaborative project. Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care. (pp. 28-50) edited by David Brody, Yuwei Xu, Kari Emilsen and Laetitia Coles. New York, NY USA: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003401049-4
Coles, Laetitia, Emilsen, Kari and Dayan, Yael (2025). Cross-country analysis. Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care. (pp. 233-251) edited by David Brody, Yuwei Xu, Kari Emilsen and Laetitia Coles. New York, NY USA: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003401049-16
Coles, Laetitia, Cooke, Emma, Sullivan, Victoria, Houen, Sandy and Thorpe, Karen (2025). “One paints the caravan, and one stays out of the caravan”. Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care. (pp. 111-133) edited by David Brody, Yuwei Xu, Kari Emilsen and Laetitia Coles. New York, NY USA: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003401049-9
Cooke, Emma, Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen and Houen, Sandy (2023). Crystallising the everyday emotional work of women working in childcare during Covid-19. Departing radically in academic writing: alternative approaches to writing and methods in qualitative research. (pp. 15-25) edited by Elizabeth Mackinlay and Karen Madden. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003360766-2
Coles, Laetitia, Cooke, Emma and Chawla, Jasneek (2023). Confronting meanings of motherhood in neoliberal Australia: six crystallised case studies. Biographical research and the meanings of mothering: life choices, identities and methods. (pp. 158-193) edited by Lyudmila Nurse, Lisa Moran and Kateřina Sidiropulu-Janků. Bristol, United Kingdom: Policy Press. doi: 10.56687/9781447365648-013
Journal Articles
Langdon, Grace, O’Neil, Matilda, Cooke, Emma, Hudson, Fiona, Coles, Laetitia, Vandeleur, Moya, Waters, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2025). Insights into the lives of families of children with neurodisabilities who have sleep problems. Sleep Health. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2025.08.007
Chawla, J., Coles, L. and Thorpe, K. (2025). Fighting for our children: a collective responsibility to deliver social and health rights to children with disability. Disability & Society, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-6. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2025.2542165
Staton, Sally, Coles, Laetitia, Normore, George, Casey, Charlotte, Searle, Bonnie, Houen, Sandy, Potia, Azhar, Crompton, Rebecca, Long, Deborah, Hogan, Michael and Thorpe, Karen (2024). The brain in context: a scoping review and concept definition of neuro-informed policy and practice. Brain Sciences, 14 (12) 1243, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14121243
McDonald, Paula, Coles, Laetitia and Thorpe, Karen (2024). How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care. Gender and Education, 36 (5), 510-526. doi: 10.1080/09540253.2024.2357825
Smith, Imogene, O'Dea, Gypsy, Demmer, David Hilton, Youssef, George, Craigie, Georgia, Francis, Lauren M., Coles, Laetitia, D'Souza, Levita, Cain, Kat, Knight, Tess, Olsson, Craig A. and Macdonald, Jacqui A. (2023). Associations between unintended fatherhood and paternal mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 339 (Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 30 1993), 22-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.06.065
Cooke, Emma, Coles, Laetitia, Staton, Sally, Thorpe, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2023). Communicating the complex lives of families that include a child with Down syndrome. Health Sociology Review, 32 (1), 19-41. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2022.2161405
Sullivan, Victoria, Coles, Laetitia, Xu, Yuwei and Thorpe, Karen (2022). Men times ten: does the presence of more men support inclusion of male educators in early childhood education and care?. Gender and Education, 35 (1), 18-36. doi: 10.1080/09540253.2022.2137106
Coles, Laetitia, Johnstone, Melissa, Pattinson, Cassandra, Thorpe, Karen, Van Halen, Olivia, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Bayliss, Olivia, Lakeman, Nicole, Western, Mark, Povey, Jenny and Staton, Sally (2022). Identifying factors for poorer educational outcomes that may be exacerbated by
COVID
‐19: A systematic review focussing on at‐risk school children and adolescents. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 58 (1), 13-40. doi: 10.1002/ajs4.236
Cooke, Emma, Coles, Laetitia, Clarke, Andrew, Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2022). Discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power. Gender and Education, 34 (7), 787-803. doi: 10.1080/09540253.2022.2078795
Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen, Smith, Simon, Hewitt, Belinda, Ruppanner, Leah, Bayliss, Olivia, O'Flaherty, Martin and Staton, Sally (2022). Children's sleep and fathers' health and wellbeing: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 61 101570, 101570. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101570
Sullivan, Victoria, Coles, Laetitia, Xu, Yuwei, Perales, Francisco and Thorpe, Karen (2020). Beliefs and attributions: insider accounts of men’s place in early childhood education and care. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 21 (2), 126-137. doi: 10.1177/1463949120929462
Staton, S., Coles, L., Zheng, Z. and Thorpe, K. (2020). COVID-19: Giving the Gift of Family Time. Report from the Understanding the Social Impacts of COVID-19 Study. Contact Magazine.
Coles, Laetitia, Hewitt, Belinda and Martin, Bill (2018). Contemporary fatherhood: social, demographic and attitudinal factors associated with involved fathering and long work hours. Journal of Sociology, 54 (4), 591-608. doi: 10.1177/1440783317739695
Brady, Michelle, Stevens, Emily, Coles, Laetitia, Zadoroznyj, Maria and Martin, Bill (2016). "You can spend time ... but not necessarily be bonding with them": Australian fathers' constructions and enactments of infant bonding. Journal of Social Policy, 46 (1), 69-90. doi: 10.1017/S0047279416000374
Rose, Judy, Brady, Michelle, Yerkes, Mara A. and Coles, Laetitia (2015). ‘Sometimes they just want to cry for their mum’: couples’ negotiations and rationalisations of gendered divisions in infant care. Journal of Family Studies, 21 (1), 38-56. doi: 10.1080/13229400.2015.1010264
Conference Papers
Coles, Laetitia, Sullivan, V. and Thorpe, Karen (2023). The pride and prejudice of men’s participation in early childhood education. 31st EECERA Conference, Estoril, Portugal, 30 August – 2 September 2023.
Cooke, Emma, Coles, Laetitia, Clarke, A., Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2023). A performance of discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power. 31st EECERA Conference, Estoril, Portugal, 30 August – 2 September 2023.
Coles, Laetitia, Casey, Charlotte, Thorpe, Karen, Houen, Sandy, Zheng, Z. and Staton, Sally (2023). Exploring our understanding of drop-off and pick-up in early childhood education and care contexts. 31st EECERA Conference, Estoril, Portugal, 30 August – 2 September 2023.
Coles, L., Sullivan, V., Xu, Y. and Thorpe K. (2022). Men in the centres working in the margins: reinforcing and challenging gender stereotypes in ECEC. Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE), Adelaide, 27 November-1 December 2022.
Zheng, Zhaoxi, Clarke, Andrew, Coles, Laetitia and Staton, Sally (2021). Reconceptualising Home and Ontological Security in COVID-19 Times. The Australian Sociological Association 2021 Annual Conference (TASA Thematic Week), Online, 22-26 November 2021.
Coles, L., Thorpe, K., Smith, S., Hewitt, B., Ruppanner, L., Bayliss, O., O’Flaherty, M. and Staton, S. (2021). Children’s sleep and fathers’ health and wellbeing: a systematic review. 32nd annual scientific meeting of Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) & Australian and New Zealand Sleep Science Association (ANZSSA), Online, 10 - 13 October 2021. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab014.072
Coles, Laetitia, Allen, Alicia, Westwood, Emily, Staton, Sally, Oakes, Candice, Hewitt, Belinda, Thorpe, Karen and Ruppanner, Leah (2019). Children’s sleep and fathers’ lives in the early years: a systematic review. Australian Father Research Consortium Symposium, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 2-3 May 2019.
Thorpe, K., Smith, S., Mamun, A., Staton, S., Beatton, T., Heussler, H., LeBourgeois, M., Blair, P., Coles, L., Oaks, C. and Sinclair, G. (2019). Many naps, one nap, none: tracking the developmental significance of sleep transition in early childhood. 15th World Sleep Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 20-25 September 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.1071
Coles, Laetitia, Hewitt, Belinda and Martin, Bill (2015). Fatherhood in the 21st Century: who are the fathers who combine long work hours and caring for children?. The Annual Conference of The Australian Sociological Association, Cairns, QLD Australia, 23-26 November 2015. Cairns, QLD Australia: James Cook University.
Video Document
Povey, Jenny and Coles, Laetitia (2019). How social science methods can address big social issues: mixed methods. How social science methods can address big social issues.
Working Papers
Fullwood, Kasey, Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen, Hudson, Fiona, Waters, Karen, Vandeleur, Moya and Chawla, Jasneek (2025). A novel approach to tailoring a behavioural sleep intervention for children with neurodisability. LCC Working Paper Series. 2025-26. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/c1bcac1
Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2025). Understanding the experiences and research priorities of children with disability and their families in a hospital setting in Australia: a novel multi-modal participatory research framework. LCC Working Paper Series. 2025-11. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/6b0d1f8
Rossa, Kalina, Pattinson, Cassandra L., Edmed, Shannon L., Coles, Laetitia, Allan, Alicia and Smith, Simon S. (2023). Understanding sleep routines: A novel mixed methods approach to understand promoters and barriers of healthy sleep. LCC Working Paper Series. 2023-21. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/e03665f
Research Reports
Cooke, Emma, Anderson, Mark, Langdon, Grace, Feltham, Madeline, Staton, Sally, Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2023). Clinicians’ experiences of explaining prenatal screening and delivering genetic syndrome diagnoses. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Down Syndrome Queensland; The University of Queensland.
Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy, Coles, Laetitia, Searle, Bonnie, Panthi, S. and Thorpe, Karen (2023). Responding to challenging behaviour with children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care settings. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Evidence for Learning.
Staton, Sally, Pattinson, Cassandra, Houen, Sandy, Coles, Laetitia, Westwood, Emily, Cooke, Emma, Searle, Bonnie-Ria and Thorpe, Karen (2022). KindyLinQ Program Pilot: Pilot evaluation report and executive summary. Online: Evidence for Learning.
Coles, Laetitia, Staton, Sally, Pattinson, Cassandra, Cleary, Anne, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Van Halen, Olivia and Thorpe, Karen (2020). Learning through COVID-19: Grey literature scan: current international evidence on the educational impacts of COVID-19: Pillar 1: Technical Supporting Report 1 of 7. Learning through COVID-19 St Lucia, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Pattinson, Cassandra, Staton, Sally, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Bayliss, Olivia, Coles, Laetitia and Johnstone, Melissa (2020). Learning through COVID-19: Rapid review of older students at risk of disengagement from school (Cohort 2): Pillar 1: Technical Supporting Report 3 of 7. Learning through COVID-19 St Lucia, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Coles, Laetitia, Staton, Sally, Pattinson, Cassandra, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Inch, Zeb, Johnstone, Melissa and Thorpe, Karen (2020). Learning through COVID-19: Rapid review of young children who started school already behind (Cohort 1): Pillar 1: Technical Supporting Report 2 of 7. Learning through COVID-19 St Lucia, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Coles, L., Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Van Os, D., Westwood, E. and Menner, R. (2019). Early childhood data analysis report. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The Front Project.
Hewitt, Belinda, Baird, Marian, Baxter, Janeen, Brady, Michelle, Coles, Laetitia, Dickenson, Jane, Strazdins, Lyndall, Whitehouse, Gillian, Xiang, Ning and Yerkes, Mara (2017). Millennium Mums Report, waves 1-5. Indooroopilly, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.
Martin, Bill, Yerkes, Mara, Hewitt, Belinda, Baird, M., Jones, Andrew Eric, Rose, Emily, Rose, Judith, Davis, K., Coles, Laetitia and Xiang, Ning (2013). Paid parental leave evaluation: Phase 2 report. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Theses
Coles, Laetitia (2020). Determinants of participation in childcare amongst fathers who work very long hours. PhD Thesis, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/96f9f41
Coles, Laetitia (2012). Adolscents' participation in volunteering : a study of Queensland school students. Honours Thesis, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland.
Generic Documents
Coles, L., Staton, S., Pattinson, C., Cleary, A., Zheng, Z., Inch, Z., Johnstone, M. and Thorpe, K. (2020). Rapid Review of young children who started school already behind. Technical Report for the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Johnston, M., Staton, S., Coles, L., Pattison, C. and Lakeman, N. (2020). Rapid Review of children and young people who have had contact with the child protection system. Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Pattinson, C., Staton, S., Tomaszewski, W., Bayliss, O., Coles, L. and Johnstone, M. (2020). Rapid Review of older children at risk of disengagement from school. Technical Report for the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Coles, L., Staton, S., Pattinson, C., Zheng, Z., Van Halen, O. and Thorpe, K. (2020). Current international evidence on the educational impacts of COVID-19. Technical Report for the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Coles, L., Staton, S., Pattinson, C., Cleary, A., Zheng, Z., Van Halen, O. and Thorpe, K. (2020). Grey literature scan: current International evidence on the educational impacts of COVID-19. Technical Report for the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Thorpe, K., Westwood, E., Van Os, D., Menner, R., Coles, L., Lakeman, N., Houen, S. and Staton, S. (2019). Everybody benefits: state of early learning in Australia report. Early Childhood Australia.
O'Flaherty, M., Thorpe, K., Staton, S., Coles, L., Povey, J. and Rankin, P. (2019). Building Capacity in Australian Parents (BCAP) (Trial Interim Report). Department of Social Services, Australian Government.