Book Description
The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development presents a comprehensive summary of research into child development from age two to seven. Comprising 30 contributions from both established scholars and emerging leaders in the field, it addresses some of the most compelling questions about early experience, such as how important early brain development is, and whether parents matter. The volume covers the full range of research in developmental psychology including: conceptual frameworks; biological and physiological development; cognitive development; language and literacy development; and social, emotional and regulatory development. It also considers the applications of psychology to the care and education of young children, treating issues such as poverty, family systems, orphanages, media, and the transition to school. The handbook will be a valuable resource for students and scholars across a range of disciplines, as well as for practitioners working with young children.

 

Book Reviews
This book is a 'must read' for anybody involved with longitudinal research, developmental psychopathology, or social policy involving children and families. The broad focus on adaptation succeeds in linking social and personality development to domains as diverse as academic achievement, IQ, and psychopathology. The extensive and carefully crafted assessments of individuals from birth through adulthood place the authors in a unique position to test the contribution of early experience to later developmental outcomes. Overall, the authors provide an integrative, challenging, and engaging summary of the diverse pathways taken by children born into low-income families."--Roger Kobak, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware

"In this landmark volume, the authors provide a full account of their impressive research on the development of the person from birth to adulthood. The Minnesota Study is one of the classic longitudinal studies in the history of the field of developmental psychology. Moreover, the theoretical approach utilized has been extremely influential in the emergence of the discipline of developmental psychopathology. Developmental and clinical psychologists, developmental psychopathologists, educators, and social policy advocates all will profit from and be interested in this work. Likewise, it is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in developmental psychology and psychopathology. I recommend this volume with great enthusiasm."--Dante Cicchetti, PhD, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, New York

"This is the long-awaited, definitive report of a uniquely important longitudinal study of the origins of social and personality development throughout the life course. The Minnesota Study of Parents and Children has been a significant source of new understanding of the importance of early experiences, parent-child relationships, and continuity and change in personality growth, and of the relevance of these issues to psychological strength and vulnerability. This volume draws together decades of research into an integrative, comprehensive report that developmental scientists, students, and practitioners will find valuable, thought provoking, and important."--Ross A. Thompson, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis

"This remarkably lucid and accessible book tells the story of the authors' groundbreaking 30-year longitudinal study of families living in urban poverty. The findings of their research provide the backdrop for an extraordinarily textured, broad, yet coherent explication of the complexities of developmental process. While concerned explicitly with the interface of socioemotional development, attachment, and psychopathology, this enormously ambitious and immensely readable book conveys the essential principles of development in a way that will be fascinating to anyone interested in infants, children, and families."--Arietta Slade, PhD, Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, City University of New York

"Four stars for this remarkable book! It offers a detailed picture of a varied set of children as they move from infancy to adulthood, noting how early interactions between parent and child play out in subsequent social relationships. It shows how each developmental phase adds new relational elements, which nevertheless emerge from, and depend on, what came before. It identifies some of the childhood roots of pathology, while also highlighting the kinds of parent-child interactions that underlie a child's growing competence and emotional well-being. Any serious teacher or student of psychosocial development will want to have this book within arm's reach."--Eleanor E. Maccoby, PhD, Department of Psychology, Stanford University

"This is the book that developmental psychologists and clinicians have been awaiting for more than 25 years--even if they didn't know it. We finally have a systematic prospective study from birth to young adulthood of nearly 200 people, using state-of-the-art measures and including all the probable variables affecting development. At the same time, the authors keep an eye on the clinical implications of this developmental sweep. This book is a monumental achievement. It not only summarizes a decades-long programmatic study, but will also be the starting point for the next generation of developmental research with clinical relevance. Essential reading for all in the field."--Daniel Stern, MD, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

 

Book Description
High rates of divorce, single-parenthood, and nonmarital cohabitation are forcing Americans to reexamine their definition of family. This evolving social reality requires public policy to evolve as well. "The Future of the Family" brings together the top scholars of family policy�headlined by editors Lee Rainwater, Tim Smeeding, and, in his last published work, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan�to take stock of the state of the family in the United States today and address the ways in which public policy affects the family and vice versa.

The volume opens with an assessment of new forms of family, discussing how reduced family income and lower parental involvement can disadvantage children who grow up outside of two-parent households. The book then presents three vastly dissimilar recommendations�each representing a different segment of the political spectrum�for how family policy should adapt to these changes. Child psychologist Wade Horn argues the case of political conservatives that healthy two-parent families are the best way to raise children and therefore should be actively promoted by government initiatives. Conversely, economist Nancy Folbre argues that government�s role lies not in prescribing family arrangements but rather in recognizing and fostering the importance of caregivers within all families, conventional or otherwise. Will Marshall and Isabel Sawhill borrow policy prescriptions from the left and the right, arguing for more initiatives that demand personal responsibility from parents, as well as for an increase in workplace flexibility and the establishment of universal preschool programs. The book follows with commentary by leading policy analysts Samuel Preston, Frank Furstenberg Jr., and Irwin Garfinkel on the merits of the conservative and liberal arguments. Each suggests that marriage promotion alone is not enough to ensure a happy, healthy, and prosperous future for American children who are caught up in the vortex of family change. They agree that government investments in children, however, can promote superior developmental outcomes and even potentially encourage traditional families by enlarging the pool of "marriageable" individuals for the next generation.

 

Book Review
'If you are considering setting up, or even participating in, an early intervention project, please read this book first.' Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

Book Description
This second edition of the Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention provides a comprehensive overview of this complex and continually evolving field by an outstanding group of contributing authors. Eighteen of the twenty-eight chapters are new to this edition; chapters from the first edition have been updated. It combines rigorous scholarship with state-of-the-art content on policy and service delivery. It is designed to address a broad, multidisciplinary audience including psychologists, early childhood educators, social workers, pediatricians, nurses, child psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, and professionals interested in public health and social policy. The Handbook is a valuable resource for both graduate students and experienced professionals.