This book is quite a breath of fresh air - addresses an area that has been ignored. Pity that it's on limited availability at this time.
This is a guide to how parents can encourage and maximise the opportunities for babies to develop physically (from birth to pre-school). The underlying premise here is that not only is a baby a latent genius intellectually, but also physically.
The book shows how babies have to progress one step at a time, from crawling, to creeping, to balancing, to brachiating (ie swinging), to standing, to walking, to running. Various exercises are suggested for each stage to help development along. The key is that the development of each motor skill corresponds to the development of a specific part of the brain that manage such activity (medulla, pons, cortex, etc). Each activity is a prerequisite and foundation for the succeeding one. Mr Doman asserts that physical development will stimulate and maximise mental development. If you're looking for scientific research and citations for his assertions, you won't find much, as he says that most of the conclusions and practices were developed in-house at his Institutes.
The exercises (and instructions for making various equipment) are well described, with many photographs of joyful children doing them. Like his other books, Mr Doman's joy with his work and with children clearly shines through, and reading his book is an uplifting experience.
More controversially, he is an advocate of the baby spending more time on its tummy in order to develop the ability to crawl & creep. An increased risk of SIDS? He is also very negative on strollers and playpens that restrict mobility (and by implication, physical and mental development of the baby). To an extent, one will have to choose the extent to which one wants to integrate his recommendations into busy lives.
Personally, my conclusion is that what he says makes sense, and I will certainly try his recommendations after the birth of my first child.
