Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know [Hardcover]

AACAP (Author), David Pruitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 1998

By taking readers step-by-step through the developmental milestones of childhood, discussing specific questions and concerns and examining more troublesome problems, this invaluable book is designed to provide guidance for parents in their day-to-day interactions with their child. From choosing your baby's doctor to dealing with sleep problems, from helping a child develop self-esteem to discerning when certain behaviors call for professional help (and where to find it), Your Child covers it all expertly and accessibly.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Produced by members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, this tome offers a clear and straightforward examination of issues of development behavior and psychological growth, for instance, separation anxiety, self-esteem and school readiness. Age by age, developmentally appropriate milestones are discussed, providing a chronology of physical, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social and moral concerns that parents will face as they raise their children. Part I addresses such general pediatric concerns as allergies and when to introduce solid foods. Part II takes up a more tightly aimed discussion of day-to-day problem behaviors, such as tantrums, lying and aggression. Suggesting that in most cases such behavior problems are a part of normal developmental phases, the editors urge parents to follow their instincts and offer practical tips ("If possible, hold your child firmly during a tantrum"). Parts III and IV address problems that call for professional help (e.g., mental retardation, depressive disorders, learning disabilities), offering descriptions of disorders and abnormalities, with guidelines for when and where to seek help. Appendices include a glossary of psychiatric terms, a descriptive list of psychiatric medications, and an explanation of medial, psychological, educational and developmental tests. Pruitt, a psychiatry professor at the Univ. of Tennessee, Memphis, has compiled a comprehensive behavioral guidebook.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This title clearly aims to be a sort of "Doctor Spock" for parents of adolescents, helping parents to understand what behaviors are normal, how to help teens avoid problems, and how to handle those that do arise. In addition to discussing the milestones of normal development, common family, behavioral, physical, and emotional disorders are described and treatment options are discussed. The recommendations tend to be standard and general (Just how do you make a reluctant teen study? How do you respect your child's privacy and still monitor for signs of drug and alcohol abuse?), and troubled parents will need more in-depth information. Despite these quibbles, this is the most encyclopedic general treatment of the topic to be issued in years and will be a useful starting point for many parents. Recommended for all public libraries.?Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (August 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062701584
• ISBN-13: 978-0062701589
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book that covers all the bases., October 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know (Hardcover)

I HIGHLY recommend this book. As a parent of three grown children and a new grandmother, I certainly thought I had read everything on this subject-- I practically raised my kids with my Dr. Spock in hand. But I decided to buy this new book for my daughter because it covers more than just runny noses and fevers. It's the only book I've found that gets you right inside your kids' heads and shows you what they're thinking about, and why they do what they do, at every age. Wish it had come out when my kids were young.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Devoid of depth or even much substance, October 22, 2000

By 

M. Lucas "mblsalmom" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know (Hardcover)

The only type of person to whom I could possibly recommend this book is someone with no experience with children and who wants a "forest" level view of them from one source. There is nothing in this book for a parent in the thick of childrearing. Although they are completely out of date with respect to political correctness and product availability, the series from the Gesell Institute (Your One Year Old, Your Two Year Old, etc. etc.) provides immensely better insight into what is going on with children at particular ages and stages. "Raising Your Spirited Child" is a much better place to start looking for advice getting along with a difficult child or even an average difficulty child. I am saddened and more than a bit annoyed (I purchased the book on the basis of the organization's recommendation) that the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry would put its imprimatur on a book containing such little insight.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Child, March 7, 2000

By 

Emily L Mohan (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know (Hardcover)

Your Child is one of the best books I have ever picked up to read! My toddler and I were experiencing some difficulties at home, which is why I purchased the book. After reading this wonderful map through childhood, I believe we are both going to be just fine. It gives hope to parents that we really are doing a good job at raising our kids in todays world. And if we aren't, it gives great advise on how to seek help. This isn't your typical "self-help" book!