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Child Myths

Straight Talk About Child Development
by Jean Mercer, Ph.D.
Jean Mercer is a developmental psychologist with a special interest in parent-infant relationships. See full bio
September 13, 2009

My Mom or My Lyin' Eyes: Relationships and Learning

At a picnic yesterday, I saw a friend eating from a paper plate he held up close to his face, while his dog watched eagerly. The master said to the dog, "What are you looking at? Read More

September 8, 2009

When is Bad Behavior Really BAD?

The pediatrician Perri Klass recently commented in the New York Times on parents' worried when a child steals something ("Stealing in Childhood Does Not A Criminal Make", Aug. 11, D5). As Klass pointed out, it is pretty common for children in preschool or the early school years to swipe things that don't belong to them. Read More

September 8, 2009

Child Custody: Handling Changes

A few weeks ago, there were several news reports discussing the family situation of a woman soldier recently back from Iraq. Before her deployment, the woman had given birth to a daughter and had shared a home with the baby's father and his parents. Read More

September 3, 2009

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: A Contributor to Public Health

I had been planning to write today about the research reports connecting vaccination with autism which several readers have kindly called to my attention. Unfortunately, I have had no answer yet to my request for Andrew Moulden's paper, and the material sent by another reader did not enable me to find the publication in question. So... Read More

September 2, 2009

Autism Treatment: What Choices Exist?

In yesterday's post, I commented on a "Dateline" program that discussed some unconventional beliefs about the causes and prevention of autism. One reader has already assured me that autism really is caused by vaccination, citing the work of a Canadian physician, Andrew Moulden, as evidence. Read More

August 31, 2009

Autism on "Dateline": The Details Are Important

Some readers may have seen the "Dateline" program "A Dose of Controversy" shown on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. This program examined the claims made by a British physician, Andrew Wakefield, about an association between vaccination of children with a combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and their later diagnosis as autistic. Read More

August 28, 2009

Adoption and Attachment: Multiple Factors at Work

A distressing story was recently told by an adoptive mother in a New York Times parenting blog, http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/terminating-an-adop... . The mother described her anguish over a decision to give up an adopted child whomshe considered "unattached", and to pass him on to a different family placement. Read More

August 27, 2009

Reading Minds: Some Ideas About Autism and Related Disorders

Since autistic behavior was first described in the 20th century, many theories have been put forward to try to explain why certain individuals seem to behave and react rather differently from the more typical population. Read More

August 26, 2009

Vaccination: For Good or Ill?

Few people in the United States today are old enough to remember when diphtheria was a common and very dangerous disease. My mother, who is almost 100 years old, remembers when she contracted diphtheria as a teenager, how she lost all her hair, and how her parents despaired of her survival. Read More

August 18, 2009

When Parents Divorce, Part 2

In my last post, I discussed some aspects of child custody evaluations and of factors judges may consider in making custody decisions. Read More

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Books by Jean Mercer, Ph.D.

Image of Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings
Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings
Image of Understanding Attachment: Parenting, Child Care, and Emotional Development
Understanding Attachment: Parenting, Child Care, and Emotional Development
Image of Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (Child Psychology and Mental Health)
Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (Child Psychology and Mental Health)

Child Development Basics

Child Development

The speedy physical and psychological changes that children undergo from birth through adolescence often leave parents wondering how best to care for them at each stage. From how to talk so kids will listen to when to back off and allow them to fail, PT's experts weigh in.

Go to the Child Development Basics page for more on Child Development including:
  • Growing up Well
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