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Dr Laetitia Coles
Dr

Laetitia Coles

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 36381

Overview

Background

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.

Availability

Dr Laetitia Coles is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research impacts

Dr Laetitia Coles’ research has directly shaped policy and practice to improve outcomes for children with disability and their families. Her work has informed strategic planning at Children’s Health Queensland, contributed to national evaluations of Paid Parental Leave, and supported education reforms. Through transdisciplinary collaborations and participatory methods, Laetitia has co-developed tools and frameworks that embed lived experience into research, ensuring relevance and real-world impact. Her projects have influenced workforce development, early childhood education, and health service delivery across Australia.

Works

Search Professor Laetitia Coles’s works on UQ eSpace

45 works between 2012 and 2025

1 - 20 of 45 works

2025

Book Chapter

Families caring for a child with disability

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

Families caring for a child with disability

2025

Journal Article

Insights into the lives of families of children with neurodisabilities who have sleep problems

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

Insights into the lives of families of children with neurodisabilities who have sleep problems

2025

Book Chapter

Cross-country analysis

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

Cross-country analysis

2025

Book Chapter

Methodology for an international collaborative project

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

Methodology for an international collaborative project

2025

Book

Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care

David Brody, Yuwei Xu, Kari Emilsen and Laetitia Coles eds. (2025). Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care. New York, NY USA: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003401049

Young children’s perspectives on teacher gender: contextualizing gender stereotypes and inclusive practices in early childhood education and care

2025

Book Chapter

“One paints the caravan, and one stays out of the caravan”

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

“One paints the caravan, and one stays out of the caravan”

2025

Journal Article

Fighting for our children: a collective responsibility to deliver social and health rights to children with disability

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

Fighting for our children: a collective responsibility to deliver social and health rights to children with disability

2025

Other Outputs

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

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

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

2024

Journal Article

The brain in context: a scoping review and concept definition of neuro-informed policy and practice

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

The brain in context: a scoping review and concept definition of neuro-informed policy and practice

2024

Journal Article

How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care

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

How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care

2023

Other Outputs

Clinicians’ experiences of explaining prenatal screening and delivering genetic syndrome diagnoses

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.

Clinicians’ experiences of explaining prenatal screening and delivering genetic syndrome diagnoses

2023

Journal Article

Associations between unintended fatherhood and paternal mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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

Associations between unintended fatherhood and paternal mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2023

Other Outputs

Understanding sleep routines: A novel mixed methods approach to understand promoters and barriers of healthy sleep

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

Understanding sleep routines: A novel mixed methods approach to understand promoters and barriers of healthy sleep

2023

Book Chapter

Crystallising the everyday emotional work of women working in childcare during Covid-19

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

Crystallising the everyday emotional work of women working in childcare during Covid-19

2023

Journal Article

Communicating the complex lives of families that include a child with Down syndrome

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

Communicating the complex lives of families that include a child with Down syndrome

2023

Other Outputs

Responding to challenging behaviour with children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care settings

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.

Responding to challenging behaviour with children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care settings

2023

Conference Publication

The pride and prejudice of men’s participation in early childhood education

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.

The pride and prejudice of men’s participation in early childhood education

2023

Conference Publication

Exploring our understanding of drop-off and pick-up in early childhood education and care contexts

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.

Exploring our understanding of drop-off and pick-up in early childhood education and care contexts

2023

Conference Publication

A performance of discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power

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.

A performance of discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power

2023

Book Chapter

Confronting meanings of motherhood in neoliberal Australia: six crystallised case studies

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

Confronting meanings of motherhood in neoliberal Australia: six crystallised case studies

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2028
    Clinical Utility of Level 3 Studies in Paediatric Sleep Medicine (Externally led by University of Sydney).
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Thriving kids, active brains: A collaborative to support early child development
    Ian Potter Foundation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Brain Builders Initiative
    Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Evaluating delivery experience for new diagnosis of Down syndrome or other chromosomal differences
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    Evaluation of the Queensland KindyLinQ Pilot Program
    Social Ventures Australia
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Laetitia Coles is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Dr Laetitia Coles directly for media enquiries about:

  • children with disability
  • Early childhood education and care
  • ECEC
  • fathering
  • gender and work
  • neuro-informed policy
  • neuro-informed practice
  • neuroscience in policy and practice

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au