Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior: What's Natural and Healthy [Paperback]

Toni Cavanagh Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

Puts parents' minds at ease by describing common childhood sexual behaviors and contrasting those that are a normal part of exploration and play with those that may indicate a need for help.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572241411
• ISBN-13: 978-1572241411
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, January 3, 2000

By 

kerry lindorfer (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior: What's Natural and Healthy (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book explaining in simple language various levels of sexual behvior and development. Helpful to parents and professionals, you will be able to identify and recognize differences between normal, inappropriate and troublesome sexual behavior. Also helps parents understand how to talk to their children about sex at the child's developmental level.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable info and good sense about children and sex, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior: What's Natural and Healthy (Paperback)

We live in a time when fourth graders are suspended from school for "sexually harassing" little girls on the playground and the names of 10-year-old boys names are published as registered sex offenders Texas. Some publicly proclaim, "sex before 8 or it's too late." And the American Psychological Association was forced by a nationally known a radio advice show hostess to explain itself for publishing perfectly good, peer reviewed literature about the lasting effects of child sexual abuse, because it suggested the some politically unpopular (though scientifically supportable) conclusions. A sense of balance and fairness is badly needed and Dr. Toni Cavanagh Johnson provides a good dose of it in this book.

Children are sexual people and she isn't afraid to say so. But she also describes how their sexuality is different from adult sexuality and how the two don't mix without risking dire consequences for the child.

Dr. Cavangh Johnson describes normal childhood sexuality as one end of a continuum. Most children fit that description. A few are on the other end - sexually aggressive children who assault others. In between are sexually reactive and sexually pre-occupied children, also carefully described. Concerned adults are given guidelines for assessing their child's sexual behavior, putting it in context and acting without over-reacting, when action is indicated.

As a practicing psychotherapist and Continuing Education Instructor for Child Welfare social workers, I'm whole-heartedly recommending this thorough, yet short and easy-to-understand book to parents, foster parents, teachers, social workers and anyone interested in sexual development and sexual behavior of children.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior is excellent, December 12, 1999

By 

Gerry D. Blasingame, LMFT (Redding, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior: What's Natural and Healthy (Paperback)

While this is not an introductory text, it does cover many topics that are areas of concern for parents. Since there are so many children who have been exposed to adult sexuality, abused, or just experimenting with growing up, it is important for parents and clinicians to be able to access accurate and uncomplicated information. Dr. Cavanagh-Johnson has articulated this well in this book. A very good read.