DOCTOR AND EDUCATOR HELP PARENTS MAKE A 'GOOD START

Husband-and-wife team offer practical advice to new parents on how to raise children in a rapidly changing world

Contact: Andrea Fainbraun, Web Marketing Coordinator
(202) 334-3320, e-mail: afainbra@nas.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Does music have an effect on your babys brain development? Should you breast-feed your newborn or use a bottle? Does your toddler need to become familiar with a laptop?

Becoming a parent can be a confusing time. Everyone from Dr. Spock to Dr. Ruth seems to have an opinion about what to do when raising a child. With countless child development books on the market, how do new parents know which one will give practical answers they can understand and trust?

Fortunately, Dr. Norbert Herschkowitz, a Swiss pediatrician and neuroscientist, and his wife, Elinore Chapman Herschkowitz, an American educator, have teamed up to write A GOOD START IN LIFE: Understanding Your Childs Brain and Behavior. This engaging, reader-friendly work guides parents through the formative years of their childs life, doling out practical advice based on solid science without getting mired in scientific jargon.

With a specific focus on the brain, the book follows the path of early childhood development from gestation to six years. Each chapter deals with a specific phase of child development. They begin with Life in the Womb --
Can You Hear Me in There?" and Birth -- First Things First!" As parents add candles to each birthday cake, new chapters prepare them for what lies ahead. They conclude with Paths to Personality -- Nature-Nurture," putting an end to the age-old battle of nature versus nurture (according to the Herschkowitzes - and brain research - the two are inextricably linked).

Each chapter concludes with a section called To Think About." These sections address practical topics such as good-night rituals, testing limits, coping with conflict, reading books together, the value of piano lessons, evaluating day-care options, and encouraging why" questions. By gaining further understanding about the inner workings of the brain, parents can be on the lookout to better prevent undesired behaviors and promote desired ones.

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A Good Start in Life/Joseph Henry Press/0-309-07639-0/hardcover/$22.95
The full text of the book can viewed, FREE of charge, at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10245.html

The Joseph Henry Pres is an imprint of the National Academy Press, publisher for the National Academies-National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.