The Yale Child Study Center Guide to Understanding Your Child: Healthy Development from Birth to Adolescence - Hardcover

Linda C. Mayes, a developmental pediatrician and psychoanalyst, is the Arnold Gesell Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology in the Yale Child Study Center, where she directs the early childhood programs.

Donald J. Cohen, the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology in the Yale Child Study Center, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and the Director of the Yale Child Study Center.

Arranged by topics like early baby functions, emotional growth, learning right from wrong, and sexuality and gender, this encyclopedic guide explains all facets of children's psychological and physical growth and advises parents on how best to stimulate development and resolve common dilemmas. The authors, professors of child psychiatry and pediatrics at the Yale Child Study Center, write in reassuring language. "If you are listening to Mozart," they explain, "by all means play Mozart as you rock your infant. But if you prefer to sing along with Ray Charles, there's no need to choose Mozart instead. The games, books, and other products that keep you and your child interested are more useful than those `recommend by experts' for children in general." Perhaps the most helpful sections of the book are those focused on school. Parents will find information on diagnosing learning disabilities, finding special schools, encouraging reading, and coping with school-related behavior problems. Some parents accustomed to slim, trendy tomes may initially find this hefty volume intimidating, but it deserves a place on the parenting shelf in every household.

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