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"YOUR CHILD is a remarkable effort of members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry who have worked together to bring their enormous experience and caring reassurance to parents as they deal with the joys and challenges that living with youg children offers. Bravo for this splendid book!"

A comprehensive guide to emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development from Infancy through Pre-Adolescence, Your Child belongs in every parent’s library! Written by members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the leading professional association in its field, Your Child is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and parent-friendly guide to a child’s development.

By guiding 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.

"The American Academy of child and Adolescent Psychiatry's new book is an important tool for parents and all those with child care responsibilities. A comprehensive manual discussing normal development and positive parenting practice, Your Child also provides useful, easy-to-understand information and practical advice for identifying and treating a broad spectrum of emotional and behavioral disorders and problems."

Part I THE LIFE OF A CHILD

1. Infancy: The First Year of Life

2. Toddlerhood: The Child At Ages One and Two

3. The Preschool Years: Ages Three, Four, and Five

4. The Elementary School Years: Ages Six Through Eleven

Part II DAY-TO-DAY PROBLEM BEHAVIORS

5. Challenges at Home

6. The Family Redefined

7. School-Related Concerns

8. The Child and the Community

9. The Child with Chronic Illness

Part III SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND ABNORMALITIES

10. Emotional Disorders

11. Disruptive Behavior Disorders

12. Developmental Disorders

13. Psychotic Disorders

14. Sleep Disorders

Part IV SEEKING HELP

15. How and When to Seek Help

16. What Are the Treatment Options?

APPENDIX A:

Psychiatric Medications

APPENDIX B:

Medical, Psychological, Educational, and Devlopmental Tests

What Others are Saying About Your Child

This section presents an approximate chronology of what to expect from your child in terms ofphysical, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and moral maturation. The concerns discussedin this section of the book are typical of those you will routinely discuss with your pediatrician. The issues and information presented here center on what almost every child experiences duringthe course of childhood.

This chapter describes the initial developmental stage during which you and your child establisha bond. This chapter includes discussions about such topics as eating, sleeping, crying, colic,and well-baby care.

This chapter looks at the stage during which your chid will move further out into the largerworld, relying more and more on the capabilities of his own body to explore, investigate andexperiment, all the while remaining deeply and importantly attached to you. Subjects includehitting, and biting; socializing; bossiness; negativism; and discipline.

During the preschool years, a child begins to test out the social lessons learned at home. At thesame time, the preschooler begins to bring home the lessons she learns in the outside world. Thischapter will include discussions of such topics as toilet training; the why question; the world offantasy; and the teaching values.

This chapter talks about topics ranging from helping your child become more responsible;supporting him as he develops greater autonomy; and exploring the meaning of friendship, tosuch practical matters such as allowance, chores, and television.

Part II describes those everyday behaviors, feelings, and reactions that may be bewildering toyou but are by no means aberrant. Other behaviors, however natural for the child, may be quiteproblematic. This section places such concerns in the context of the child's development byaddressing these issues in greater details and offers reassurance and direction so that you caninterpret and respond to your child's behavior in a helpful manner.

This chapter talks about behaviors that are not so easily handled: aggression, attention-seeking,sexual behaviors, tantrums, fighting with siblings, whining, and illness, among others. You mayneed a few practical tips or merely need to be reassured that other parents are dealing withsimilar doubts or the same disquieting conduct.

This chapter grapples with the question "What is a family?" Countless children today are beingraised by single parents, stepparents, grandparents, gay parents, and foster families. Otherfactors, including adoption, sibling rivalry, and poverty have a direct impact on a child'sdevelopment and the relationships he has with those who care for him. They are addressed inthis chapter.

This chapter talks about such subjects as over and underachievement, peer pressure, parentalinvolvement, changing schools, cheating, and home schooling.

This chapter touches on such subjects as child abuse, natural and man-made disasters, gangs, andviolence in the media.

This chapter talks about the special challenges that families contend with when a child has achronic illness such as asthma, diabetes, allergies, headaches, cancer, or AIDS.

In Part III, we move beyond the day-to-day. This section reviews those emotional, behavioral,and developmental problems that usually require professional intervention. The informationprovided will help you understand what is going on with your child so that you can ask a childand adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health clinician the right questions and get the rightkind of help for your child and your family.

This chapter talks about disturbances, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders, in which a child internalizes or feels profound and constant distress tothe point that the normal involvements of her life are significantly disrupted.

This chapter talks about those disturbed behaviors that indicate a considerable degree of internalupset or represent a symptom of a larger, underlying emotional problem. Such conditions includeattention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorders, and opposition defiant disorder.

This chapter talks about mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder, learningdisabilities, and related problems that impede a child's development.

This chapter talks about schizophrenia, brief reactive psychosis, and toxic psychosis, in which achild's thought processes are severely and consistently impaired.

This chapter talks about possible causes and repercussions of a child's sleep difficulties. Whilesleep difficulties my signal mild, passing problems, they may also represent more persistent,troublesome ones. Among the problems discussed are severe nightmares, night terrors,sleepwalking, and teeth grinding.

Part IV offers practical advice and useful information to guide parents when it seems hatprofessional mental health intervention may be called for. This section presents the who, where,when, and why of getting help. We discuss in detail the many aspects of mental health treatmentas well as the professions involved.

This chapter helps parents understand just what is involved in seeking help, what mental healthintervention can reasonably be expected to accomplish, and how to go about finding the rightclinician for your child and your family.

This chapter talks about the fundamentals of choosing and using mental health services-specifically, the various types of therapies available and the issues and problems each typicallyaddresses.

Appendix A: Psychiatric Medicines; a list of medical and other tests commonly used by mental health clinicians in assessing or diagnosing children.

Appendix B: Medical, Psychological, Educational, and Developmental Tests; and a glossary of psychiatric and medical terminology.

"Your Child deserves the wisdom imparted in Your Child. It provides sound advice that will enrich your own life as well as your child's."