An essential guide for parents, teachers and caregivers, this book provides an informational guide to cognitive development at every stage of a child's life, as well as how to diagnose, treat and overcome the cognitive barriers that impede learning and development.

Introduction. Part I: Understanding Children: The Big Picture. Chapter 1: Exploring Child Psychology. Chapter 2: What Makes Kids Tick? Chapter 3: Goals of Growing Up. Part II: Watching Kids Grow. Chapter 4: Pregnancy, Delivery, and the First Year. Chapter 5: Tackling the Toddler Years (Ages 1–4). Chapter 6: The Middle Childhood Years (Ages 5 – 12). Chapter 7: Traversing the Teen Years (Ages 13–18). Part III: Growing Great Kids. Chapter 8: Creating Functional Families. Chapter 9: Optimizing Education. Chapter 10: Building the Right Village for Kids. Part IV: Spotting Troubled Development. Chapter 11: Facing Physical Problems. Chapter 12: Understanding Problems That Interfere with Learning. Chapter 13: Addressing Autism Spectrum Disorders. Chapter 14: Emotional Disorders. Chapter 15: Exploring Behavior Disorders. Chapter 16: Looking at Trauma and Abuse. Part V: Getting the Right Therapies. Chapter 17: Types of Therapy That Work. Chapter 18: Enhancing Educators’ Efforts. Chapter 19: Knowing What Parents Can Do. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Calm Kids Down. Chapter 21: Ten Signs of Gifted Kids. Chapter 22: Ten Signs That a Kid Needs Help. Appendix: Developmental Milestones. Index.

Grasp a child's cognitivedevelopment, detectabnormalities, and learnwhat to do next An essential guide for parents, teachers, and caregivers, Child Psychology & Development For Dummies provides an informational guide to cognitive development at every stage of a child's life, as well as expert tips and guidance on how to diagnose, treat, and overcome the cognitive barriers that impede learning and development. The nuts and bolts — delve into the soup of kids' development, including biology, psychology, learning, environment, and culture What makes kids tick? — discover how heredity, environment, experience, and culture interact to determine a child's physical and emotional development Watch them grow — get an understanding of what a "normal" childhood should look like from conception through adolescence, and the types of behaviors to anticipate throughout Learn to spot trouble — find out what can go wrong during a child's development, from physical problems like chronic illness to psychological problems like autism Ask for help — get expert guidance on the therapies and interventions that work, and how you can collaborate with professionals for an even better outcome Open the book and find: Physical, mental, and social development from conception through adolescence Treatments and interventions that work Physical and psychological problems that interfere with normal development Common behavior disorders The aftermath of abuse, trauma, and neglect What to expect from therapy and medication How to help kids cope at school Learn to: Understand the difference between "bad behavior" and behavior disorders Know whether a child is ready for school Help a child control impulses, develop self-esteem, and have good relationships