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This book brings together in one volume information about the neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral bases of reading and reading disabilities. In recent years, research on assessment and treatment of reading disability (dyslexia) has become a magnet for the application of new techniques and technologies from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. This interdisciplinary fusion has yielded numerous and diverse findings regarding the brain basis of this syndrome, which are discussed in this volume by leading researchers. Intervention approaches based on such research are presented. The book also calls for research in specific directions, to encourage the field to continue moving into the bold frontier of how the brain reads.

The volume is essential reading for a range of researchers, clinicians, and other professionals interested in reading and reading disability, and also commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Extraordinary Brain Conferences hosted by The Dyslexia Foundation.

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The increasing focus on children's welfare has given rise to tremendous growth in the field of child psychology, and the past decade has witnessed significant advances in research in this area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Thank you
As one of the authors of a chapter in this book, I am humbled by the reviews I have read. Now I am going to spend my money to get a copy, lol!

Highly recommended for pediatric clinical workers.
I am writing about the 3rd edition, which is the most current volume.The only disappointment that I have about this text is that I did not obtain it much earlier.The chapters are well written with many references for further study.The practitioner can keep abreast of the current literature on topics that s/he may already be familiar, or obtain authoritive information about other clinical areas not part of one's regular practice.This text is not written in the style of a dictionary, that is, the reader is given a summary in the style and length of a journal article.The book compliments the older volumes of the American Handbook of Psychiatry for which I have still found much use.

I also give strong recommendation for the Social Worker's Desk Reference that is available on Amazon.This latter book is a 2002 text that for some disorders gives a better summary than the Handbook.The Desk Reference is of value regardless of one's clinical license.

Is it worth it?
The strength of the book is that it summarizes the main issues on assessment and treatment quite well. Certainly worthwhile for a quick reference to current opinion on topics but if you're after the finer detail of theory this may not be your book and you might want to try "Child Psychopathology" by Mash & Barkley. The question to ask is, is this book worth $170USD new? If you don't mind spending this money then the book is a useful addition to a professional library for advanced students and professionals.

Handbook of clinical child psychology
This is indeed the "Bible" for the clinical child psychologist. As a pediatrician, who through all my professional life have worked closely with child psychologists, permit me to review this very serious and professional handbook. It is edited by C Eugene Walker from Oklahoma and Michael C Roberts from Kansas with 114 contributors (all from United States). The first edition of the handbook was published 18 years ago and it has since turned into a reference and guide for students, adademics and clinicians in the field. The book is divided into seven sections with a total of 55 chapters. The first section deals with child development and the first chapter with families and children in history with a focus on American history, but I especially liked the chapter by Judith A Chafel and Kathryn Gold Hadley on poverty and well-being of children and their families. This is a new addition to this edition, but a very important one. Poverty and hunger are old phenomena, but only recently become a subject of research and interest to politicians. They should be interested, because poverty is a major public health problem in many developed countries. Data from 1996 in the United States estimate that 20.5% of the children were living in poverty. This well researched paper will give you information on definition of poverty, effects on development, health and psychosocial risks, resiliency and implications for clinical intervention. Section two provides different diagnostic assessments of children and adolescents, section three deals with problems of early life and clinical problems of birth, neonatology, infant and preschool period and section four about problems of childhood. This last section has 16 chapters with some interesting entries. I especially liked the chapter on mental retardation, which takes into account the 1992 American Association on Mental Retardation (AMMR) definition of mental retardation, where not only IQ, but multidimential classification was used as a novel way to look upon mental retardation. I would have liked an entry on the use of the word "mental retardation", which is very much debated (sometimes very hotly like at the last international conference in Seattle in August 2000) and at all not in use in many parts of the world, where instead the term "intellectual disability" is preferred. Section five has nine relevant chapters on adolescence, but I would like to see a chapter on teenage pregnancy in the next edition, because that is especially a problem in United States and United Kingdom, where we are talking about potential psychological risks for the next generation also. Section six conveys intervention strategies with good chapters on hospitalization and pharmacotherapy among others. The last section has special topics like cultural issues, divorce, grief, ethics and forensic evaluation. The chapter on impact of a parent chronic illness is very interesting and I would also suggest a chapter on chronic illness or disability in the child for the next edition. This topic is mentioned in another chapter (on contemporary issues), but deserves a full chapter. The words disability and intellectual disability are not mentioned even in the index. In this section I especially like the chapter on child maltreatment by Barbara L Bonner and collegues, which is a good review of the field of child abuse and neglect, but again the focus in on the United States and international work in the field not mentioned. A chapter on research in child psychology and the use of internet should be added for the next edition. The effects of the internet on children and adolescents should also be added. We recently had a case here in Israel, where an internet connection between two adolescents (a Jewish male and Arab female) were used by terrorists to capture and murder the 14 year old boy. I would have liked to see a section eight with chapters on the future of infancy, childhood and adolescence both in the United States, but also a chapter on international work and research in the field of child psychology. All in all a very positive review for a very useful handbook that can be used by both psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and physicians and thanks for a good editing job. It was a pleasure to read and use this handbook.

Professor Joav Merrick, MD, DMSc Medical Director, Division for Mental Retardation, Box 1260, IL-91012 Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail: jmerrick@aquanet.co.il

An Important Text on Clinical Child Psychology
Although this text could use a new edition, it remains one of the more complete collections of reviews of literature in the clinical dhild psychology. The Handbook of Clinical Child Psychology stands as thestandard reference guide for practitioners, students, professors, andresearchers in the field, and likely will until it is replaced with a thirdedition. ... Read more

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Since its emergence during the 1960s, school consultation has become an important vehicle for delivering psychological and educational services. Cooperative efforts between skilled consultants and teachers, rooted in the principles of problem solving, social influence, and professional development, enhance student learning and adjustment while encouraging consultees to be more effective and proactive in their practice.The Third Edition of School Consultation: Conceptual and Empirical Bases of Practice shows in expert detail how this relationship works by synthesizing mental health and behavioral models of consultation with the most effective evidence-based practices (e.g., implementation support, response to intervention) informing the field today. The authors provide real-world contexts for all participants in the equation—consultants, teachers, students, staff, and the school itself—and thoroughly review consultation processes and outcomes for a contemporary practice-oriented approach suited to the new consultant, trainee, or researcher.Key features of the Third Edition include: an integrated mental health/behavioral model for school consultation, an organizational study of the school as a setting for consultation.Assessment issues and strategies particularly relevant to school consultation, approaches to providing teachers with implementation support, conceptual models for selecting academic and behavioral interventions, administrative perspectives on school consultation, a real, transcribed case study analyzed by the authors.In the tradition of its predecessors, School Consultation, Third Edition, is a confidence-building tool for practitioners in school psychology, clinical child psychology, educational specialties, school counseling, special education, and school social work as well as a trusted reference for researchers in these fields. ... Read more

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Recent empirical work has shown that adopted children are more vulnerable to a host of psychological and school-related problems compared to their non-adopted peers. The rate of referral of adopted children to mental-health facilities is far above what would be expected given their representation in the general population. However, our understanding of the basis of these problems remains unclear.In this work, David Brodzinsky, who has conducted one of the largest studies of adopted children, along with Marshall Schechter, a child psychiatrist, has brought together a group of leading researchers from various disciplines to explore the complex, interdisciplinary subject of adoption. Theoretical, empirical, clinical, and social policy issues offer new insights into the problems facing parents of adopted children and especially the children themselves. The book is a comprehensive study and will be of interest to child psychiatrists, developmental and clinical psychologists, social workers, and social service providers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Facts and The Feelings
We are surrounded by books written about adoption issues from each participant's perspective - the adoptee, the birth parents, the adoptive parents, and even agency workers and counselors. Those written by the"adoption triad" are generally highly emotionally charged. In ThePsychology of Adoption, David Brodzinsky and Marshall Schechter havecovered a broad range of adoption issues, but have approached themclinically. This is excellent source material for those who are interestedin studies that investigate the problems and complications experienced byadoptive parents, adopted children, and birthparents. Brodzinsky andSchechter present and compare results of numerous clinical studies that arethe foundation for their professional opinions on, and recommendedapproaches to improved emotional, psychological and mental health forfamilies involved in adoption. Some of the documentation is difficult towade through at times, but I was pleased to discover genuine compassion intheir treatment of the subject. These men struck me as being caringprofessionals who are striving to improve a flawed adoption system that isnot producing healthy, satisfied participants. They address the complexproblems inherent in adoption, and offer options and solutions that,although perhaps not popular or commonly well-known or readily available,have been found to be healing and helpful to troubled families. Possiblymore important, they advocate changes to the adoption system that might bepreventive medicine for families who are statistically "destined"to have a less than successful adoption experience. I would recommend thisbook to those who appreciate an educated, clinical perspective that isrefreshingly balanced with deeply felt and caring commentary on theadoption experience. ... Read more

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Child Neuropsychology guides therapists and neurologists toward common goals: early, accurate diagnosis and finely focused interventions across disciplines. By analyzing the affects of brain development on children and adolescents’ behavioral, cognitive, learning, and psychosocial abilities and deficits, this groundbreaking volume brings vital perspectives to assessment and treatment. Leading experts Ellison and Semrud-Clikeman start with the basics of child clinical neuropsychology and functional neuroanatomy, taking readers through examination protocols and assessment instruments to treatment planning and methods.

In this volume, the authors address the full range of neurodevelopmental pathologies, from learning disabilities to autism, ADHD to CNS disorders, traumatic brain injury to fetal alcohol syndrome. Child Neuropsychology demonstrates an integrated transactional model of rehabilitation and intervention strategies, showing how families and school personnel can collaborate with mental health and medical professionals for effective therapy with lasting results. Inside this volume, readers will discover:

• Comprehensive overviews of the effects of biogenic and environmental factors on brain development.
• An in-depth guide to assessment batteries and diagnostic procedures.
• An integrative framework modeling targeted collaborative intervention.
• Discussions of effective medical, behavioral, and social/educational treatments.
• Richly detailed case studies applying the authors’ methods to child and teen-aged clients with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, TBI, and seizure disorders.
• Valuable tables, charts, and reference lists.

For clinical child practitioners as well as for advanced students, Child Neuropsychology contains the essential tools needed to meet the complex challenges of diagnosing and treating brain-based illnesses.

Customer Reviews (8)

child neuropsych
I really did not feel that this book provided anything new. It looks like that information in it are things I have gotten from previous text books. i did not find this a useful book.

Child Neuropsychology Assessment and Interventions for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
This book was recommended at a conference I recently attended. Dr.'s Ellison and Semrud-Clikeman provide a brief anatamony lesson and up-to-date methods for neuroimaging. They include major neuro developmental disorders and intervention strategies that are helpful.

Neuropsychological Bias
The author presents a very biased view of child neuropsychology.
She omits many relevant research findings especially in the area
of neurometrics and presents a very narrow scientific base focusing
on only a few relevant researchers.There are also many errors
with regard to factual information and little cohesiveness in
bringing together research findings.Some of the real pioneers
in neuropsychological research have been omitted.

Typos and some inaccuracies
The book has more typos than any text I've ever purchased and includes some important inaccuracies (e.g., Prozac is referred to as an MAOI). Despite these things, the book provides some good general information, but the reader certainly gets the sense that the book was hurriedly thrown together without a good proofread, first.

Not very in-depth
This book was a nice overview of pediatric neuropsychology, but I found it quite shallow in terms of practical information. I found myself thinking "yeah, I know all that, now get to the meat."

A nice start for the beginner, but don't buy this thinking that you will get details of how to actually do pediatric neuropsychology. ... Read more

Product Description
George Washington Univ., Washington, D.C. Presents normative data for the neuropsychological tests most commonly used with children. Integrates the concepts and models central to the neuropsychological assessment of children into discussions of data, with clinical focus. DNLM: Neuropsychological Tests--standards--Child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have for any pediatric neuropsychologist !
Thanks to Sue Baron, the pediatric neuropsychologist finaly have the equivalent of the Lezak for adult neuropsychology. This book is in the top list of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology and you will understand why when you will read it ! The heart of the book is the description of almost all the tests available in the field of pediatric neuropsychology. The descriptions cover the statistic properties and the main studies available on the principle tests. Each chapter that presents a function starts with a state of the art at a Phd level. It really saved me hours of reading in many books ! Included are also numerous norms (mostly americans)with unpublished ones. The references included are of a great interrest too. The chapter on report wrinting is also essential. To be perfect one would expect a chapter on achievement tests and due to its publication date the WISC IV and the WPPSI III are not included. Apart from this there is simply no criticism to formulate. In a short way I strongly recommand this book and would be very surprised to find any disappointed reader ! ... Read more

Product Description
This authoritative four-volume reference spans the entire field of child development and has set the standard against which all other scholarly references are compared. Updated and revised to reflect the new developments in the field, the Sixth Edition is sure to be as successful as the previous editions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Indispensable
Indispensable

As a doctoral student in clinical psych with a focus on children I have found this set to not only be well worth the hefty price tag but to have saved me $ since any and everything (from attachment theory to neuro) that I have needed info on was covered in depth and by the giants in each respective arena.BUY IT if it overlaps with your interests!It will become the first place you look for anything relating to child psych.It is technical and scholarly in detail so it's not for the layperson but for students and psychs alike. ... Read more

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Children whose early development has been damaged by abuse or neglect are notoriously difficult to reach. Through many years' therapeutic work with adopted children and their families, Denise B. Lacher and Todd Nichols have developed an exciting and innovative technique which uses stories as the main mode for helping parents to communicate and connect with their troubled children. Connecting with Kids through Stories is an accessible guide to Family Attachment Narrative Therapy for the parents of adopted or fostered children, and for the professionals who work with them. Providing a thorough theoretical grounding, and detailed information on therapeutic techniques and how to assess progress, the book shows parents how to create their own therapeutic stories to promote increased attachment and improved behaviour in their child. The authors describe how different kinds of narratives can help with specific difficulties and illustrate their techniques with the story of a fictional family who develop their own narratives to help their adopted child heal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Must-Read for Adoptive Parents who Face Attachment Issues
This book truly changed my life.It was amazing!

As an adoptive mom who struggles to connect with a daughter who was institutionalized for most of her first year of life (and thus struggles to attach), this book provided a new look at a problem I've been trying to grapple with for years.This amazing, fresh approach to viewing attachment issues was extremely helpful.

The authors show us how to connect with our adopted children by telling them stories that help us "claim" them as part of our family, help them heal from specific trauma, help them get past developmental roadblocks, and help them understand what it means to be "successful" and make good decisions.

It's a short book that's easy to read, and written for parents (rather than tharapists).At first the approach of storytelling seems way too simple for such a complex problem.But I can personally attest that following their suggestions has made significant differences for my family.

When you struggle to connect with a child, telling them a story gives you a much easier way to connect than to lecture, demand, coerce, etc.And for those of us who struggle to connect on an emotional level, storytelling helps you do just that with your child.

I wish I had read this book years ago.If your child has attachment issues and you struggle to connect, I highly suggest reading this book.

Attachment Therapy
This has helped our family tremendously. It is the most effective and non retraumatizing technique we have found for using with our attachment disordered children. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in its second edition, this comprehensive book explores developmental psychopathology as a means for understanding and treating abnormal behavior in children. It covers the strengths and healthy outcomes as a means for designing effective therapies to help children and families, while also focusing on prevention as a cornerstone of managing child behavior. Special attention is also given to issues of diversity, inclusion, and understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Understanding Abnormal Child Psychology
This is a great book for learning about normal and abnormal child behaviors. One great advantage is that the book uses as its reference the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision(DSM-IV-TR). The book also presents 'case studies' where you can read each case and understand and to try to identify if it is a one is suffering from a condition or it is consider normal depending with each one's personality, behavior or interests. It is great not only for a classroom but also for anyone wanting to get to understand behaviors that to one may seem abnormal but to others it's just that person's personality, behavior and creativeness that makes every single one of us 'unique'. Great and informative textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
Every new parent wants to know what the infant's experience is really like. In Diary of a Baby, renowned infant psychiatrist Daniel Stern brings us closer than ever before to penetrating a young child's consciousness. In alternating sections of evocative prose, representing the baby's own voice, and explanatory text, Daniel Stern draws on his research findings and years of clinical experience to re-create the baby's world. Diary of a Baby, with a new introduction by the author, can be read alongside Dr. Stern's book on the motherhood experience The Birth of a Mother. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great for new parents
I give the book to every new parent or parents to be.It gives them a very easy to read and understandable view, from the baby's perspective, of what's going on developmentally during the first couple years of birth.An excellent read for all parents!!!

Litterature for becoming parents
This book is based on most serious psychological research and reflects the knowledge we at the moment have about how babies percieve and experiences their environment. A book I recommend for all becoming parents, and it ought to be read before the child is borne. It explains how, and why the relational environment is of paramount importance for the psychological developement of all children. Do you want your child to have a psychologically sound developement? Then read this book!

Very annoying book
Based on some guys fantasies. Get "What's going on in there" by Lise Eliot instead.

a little too verbal for a baby
This author pretends that he is speaking as the baby and its ridiculous. He is a baby with a HUGE extensive vocabulary and is also very poetic. At times these baby narrations just become too silly to even take this book seriously.

A great gift for new parents
As a pediatrician, I love this little book and have given it to all my friends when they had their first baby. Dr. Stern is a recognized expert on early childhood development and teaches at Cornell. In this book he has done something quite unusual. He succeeded in weaving the pearls from his academic work into a delightful, readable book that any interested person can enjoy. This book makes it fun to understand your child better. ... Read more

Product Description
This workbook has been developed following a wide variety of conference and other academic presentations on children with subtle neuro-developmental processing problems. After these lectures and seminars, numerous professionals from psychiatry, psychology, nursing and teaching have approached us with regard to the diagrams used, wanting access to them for both educational purposes and within clinical sessions. Although happy to share our teaching and training resources, the diagrams cannot be used as a stand-alone resource. It therefore seemed most sensible to publish them as an adjunct to the Disorganized Children manuscript published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This combined approach will hopefully allow professionals to utilise the information available in a creative and personalised manner when working with similar patients with positive results. ... Read more

Product Description
Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology approaches child and adolescent behavior from a developmental perspective to allow students to incorporate multiple theories into an integrated understanding of child behavior. For students to understand child and adolescent psychopathology, they must explore the complex interplay of developmental, biological, familiar, cultural, and historical factors that shape behavior. Child Psychopathology integrates these varied contexts in a user-friendly format that allows students to fully understand child maladaptive behavior. This text employs state-of-the-art material combining case studies, diagnostic issues, research, and Internet Web sites to illustrate that child and adolescent "abnormal" behavior does not occur in a vacuum, and that inside of each of these disorders are real children with real strengths and weaknesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great read!
This textbook was surprisingly an engaging read. It incorporates several case studies for each diagnosis which gives an added perspective to the disorders.I, as well as my professor, recommend keeping this book as a reference for future work. ... Read more

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“A wonderful way to look more deeply into issues in child development.”
-Sarah Jane Anderson, Mount Ida College

“With its emphasis on critical thinking about child development, Mercer’s text is unique and timely. . . . Mercer has done an admirable job in selecting and tackling the topics that she does.”
-Nancy Dye, Humboldt College

In Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings, author Jean Mercer uses intriguing vignettes and questions about children and families to guide readers in thinking critically about 51 common beliefs. Each essay confronts commonly held misconceptions about development, encouraging students to think like social scientists and to become better consumers of media messages and anecdotal stories. The book is organized so that essays can be assigned to parallel either chronologically or topically organized child development texts.

Features and Benefits:

• Presents 51 short essays about child development that challenge readers to reconsider their pre-conceived notions
• Includes critical thinking questions at the end of each reading
• Offers examples of research to help students make the connection between research designs and conclusions
• Shows students how to approach research reports
• Provides reference lists, including links to relevant SAGE publications

Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings is intended for use as a supplementary text in courses in Child Development, Child and Adolescent Development, and Developmental Psychology.

Customer Reviews (9)

Thorough, helpful, well-researched book from experienced psychologist
This is an excellent, helpful analysis of 51 of the most frequently-heard claims about child development. Some of these claims have been made by well-meaning teachers and parents, while others are a product of the lunatic fringe (who will no doubt be distressed at finding their pet ideas so thoroughly refuted by scientific research). Professor Mercer's book is well-written, and each section includes questions to encourage critical thinking and references for further reading. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in child development -- and parent development! -- and is an excellent text for courses in educational, developmental, and cognitive psychology.

Don't believe the true believers
Don't believe the one star reviews; this is a superb book by a thoughtful, courageous, and well respected scholar of child development.Despite what a few reviewers (many of whom appear to be advocates for attachment therapy, a treatment that Mercer has criticized in her published work) say, the book is factually accurate, engaging, and well researched. It does an especially good job of unmasking widespread misconceptions about child development and encouraging critical thinking in a domain in which it is often in short supply.I recommend this book highly for child development instructors as well as for intellectually curious laypersons.

Practical advice for parents
This book contains a wealth of information that can help parents make important decisions. It discusses 49 claims related to child development and cites scientific findings when they are available. It's clear that most (perhaps all) of the negative reviews were written by others who have a personal grudge against the author because of her criticism of certain quack practices. I say this because they use similar wording (such as "biased") and describe the book so inaccurately that I believe they haven't read it. I did -- and was pleasantly surprised to find that it provides insights I would have found useful during my psychiatric career.

Important Book For Students of Child Development
Once again Dr. Mercer has carefully and thoughtfully reviewed the literature and provided the reader with a clear and concise analysis of salient issues and concerns.I recommend this book to the students I supervise at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level who are training in child psychology and psychiatry.

Judith Wides, President of The New Jersey Association For Infant Mental Health

A well written book by a developmental psychologist
This is a well written book that should be supplemental reading in any child development/child psychology course.The book is a valuable example of how critical thinking skills can be applied when one examines a variety of claims about child development. I appreciate the way the author brings in empirical findings into the discussion of examining the myths and common misunderstandings about child development while at the same time keep the interest of the reader who may not be an academic or researcher. I highly recommend this book for parents, students, teachers, child development specialists and mental health professionals. ... Read more

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The analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung, the ideas of Erich Neumann and modern developmental psychology offer excellent guidelines in the search for the significance of children's drawings. Children actually live in the mythological period of our ancestors. Just as our ancestors' growing process of awareness was reflected in mythological stories, rituals, fairy tales and primitive art, a child's process of awareness is reflected in his or her drawings. There are similarities between the products from various periods of art history and the drawings that children make at various ages. In 'Draw me a Picture' children's drawings ranging from their very first scribbles to drawings by adolescents are described and analyzed. And, when doing so, the author repeatedly makes links to the world of children's games. She also offers illustrative examples from her therapeutic practice. This book is a tool for play therapists, art therapists, sandplay therapists and teachers. ... Read more

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Children:The Challenge gives the key to parents who seek to build trust and love in their families, and raise happier, healthier, and better behaved children. Based on a lifetime of experience with children--their problems, their delights, their challenges--Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs, one of America's foremost child psychiatrists presents an easy to follow program that teaches parents how to cope with the common childhood problems that occur from toddler through preteen years. This warm and reassuring reference helps parents to understand their children's actions better, giving them the guidance necessary to discipline lovingly and effectively. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Children the Challenge
Even though this book was first published in 1964, it is still an excellent book to help parents, care givers, or anyone who deals with children an insight on how to better deal with children.Putting the advice into practice IS the challenge.It does work though.

Unbelievably helpful
I found that my toddler and I were engaging in power struggles on a daily basis.Everyone told me it was normal, but it still didn't feel comfortable.This book completely solved the struggles in a matter of days, and I can see that the results of our new team-based family dynamic will help us greatly in the years ahead (the teen years come to mind).It's like magic!

Straight from the horse's mouth
The theories exposed in this book were a huge eye-opener for me.
They gave me the keys to decode my kids' behavior.
This is psychiatry at its best. Once you understand why your kids do what they do, you are much better equipped.
Some examples are outdated. Yet, overall, most examples are very interesting.
The absolute must-read are the first 3 chapters: "Understanding the child", "Encouragement" and "The child's mistaken goals".
I've read several other parenting books. This book feels like the original version. In retrospect, reading the others was a waste of time.
Talk of a book that has made a change in my life. I plan on re-reading this book every now and then to make sure that I'm always fresh on these theories.

Children: The Challenge
Children, The Challenge is the closest thing to a parenting handbook that I have found this lifetime. You will need to read it twice. The first time you read it, you will hit yourself over the head with it thinking, "These ideas are so simple. Why didn't I think of them?" The second time through, the concepts really sink in. Simple, easy direction for the layperson trying to understand how to empower their children AND themselves at the same time. Addressing logical versus natural consequences, full of heart, logic and compassion, this book should be mandatory reading for anyone dealing with children, or anyone dealing with adults who act like children. It really gives a new meaning to the concept of response-ability. Spirit Journeys: Freeing the Soul in this Life and Beyond, Healing Thoughts: Applying Therapeutic Shamanism in Your Daily Life

Much needed help for parents
They say babies don't come with an instruction manual, but many child rearing books exist to help us navigate our way through the most rewarding and challenging endeavor that is parenting. This book offers many excellent insights that have been immediately helpful for our family. I strongly recommend it, despite its being outdated on occasion (referring to the child's job being school, the dad's job as working at the office and the mom's job as taking care of the home!). Despite the few instances of showing its age, the ideas for communicating with children and setting boundaries that don't crush their spirits are timeless. ... Read more

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Abnormal Child Psychology: A Developmental Perspective is intended for undergraduate and Masters-level students enrolled in courses in Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology. Written from a developmental perspective, the book is organized around five prominent and recurring themes: the course of normal development proceeds in an orderly and predictable direction; maladaptive behaviors represent deviations from the normal path; maladaptive behavior is represented by a continuum of severity (symptoms, syndromes, disorders) based on the degree to which behaviors deviate from the norm; individual, interpersonal, contextual and cultural factors interact in a reciprocal way to influence normal development and abnormal deviations; theoretical input from diverse perspectives can guide our understanding of underlying processes that precipitate and maintain behaviors and the different developmental pathways that might result.

The text provides students with a learning model which incorporates three essential cornerstones, which are pivotal to understanding child and adolescent psychopathology: the K3 paradigm that consists of knowledge of developmental expectations, knowledge of the sources of influence, and knowledge of the theoretical models. Each chapter opens with a case illustration to highlight the themes of the material that follows. The chapters conclude with a Summary Review, Glossary of New Terms and a Set of Review Questions.    

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent for school psychologists...
It's been a while since I got my school psych degree, and my texts are getting dated.I wanted a psychopathology book that would have up-to-date research in it.Wilmshurt's book is an excellent source for this and more.The book is broken up into many short chunks of information.This might be disruptive to some, but it fits well with my short attention span!There is a lot of focus on the relevance of the information to the school settings.She even does a good job of comparing IDEA definitions with DSM and other definitions.Highly recommended for MH or public ed people in the States that work with school-aged kids.A+.-steve k.Western Wa. ... Read more