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Welcome to Your Child's Brain

How the Mind Grows from Conception to College

Bloomsbury USA

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ISBN10: 1608199339
ISBN13: 9781608199334

Paperback

336 Pages

$18.00

CA$24.00

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How children think is one of the most enduring mysteries—and difficulties—encountered by parents. In an effort to raise our children smarter, happier, stronger, and better, parents will try almost anything, from vitamins to toys to DVDs. But how can we tell marketing from real science? And what really goes through your kid's growing mind—as an infant, in school, and during adolescence? Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang (who is also a parent) explain the facets and functions of the developing brain, discussing salient subjects such as sleep problems, language learning, gender differences, and autism. They dispel common myths about important subjects such as the value of educational videos for babies, the meaning of ADHD in the classroom, and the best predictor of academic success (hint: It's not IQ).

Most of all, this book helps you know when to worry, how to respond, and, most important, when to relax. Welcome to Your Child's Brain upends myths and misinformation with practical advice, surprising revelations, and real, reliable science. It's essential reading for parents of children of any age, frominfancy well into their teens.

Reviews

Praise for Welcome to Your Child's Brain

"Few humans are as neurotic as parents, frantic about the disastrous lifelong consequences of every errant hiccup. In this smart, funny, accessible, and supremely sane book, Aamodt and Wang explain that our supposed knowledge in this realm is riddled with urban myths and that a child's brain is tough and resilient in the face of adversity. This is a terrific, fun, educational book."Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
"Fact-filled and fascinating, Welcome to Your Child's Brain will answer many of parents' most urgent questions. Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang present the real data that will help parents understand and nurture their children of all ages."Dr. Lise Eliot, associate professor of neuroscience at Rosalind Franklin University and author of What's Going On in There?and Pink Brain, Blue Brain
"Dr. Wang and Dr. Aamodt playfully and engagingly introduce us to the hidden talents of our children's brains."—Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr. Oz Show



" . . . cutting-edge research on the growing brain, from birth to the age of 21 . . . with its clear graphics, this is a useful companion guide for educators and families."—Nature


"Neuroscientists Aamodt and Wang take a fresh approach to brain research, focusing on how the brain develops from infancy to young adulthood, debunking myths, and offering parents practical tips along the way. The text is organized into seven major parts that examine such areas as how the brain works, the 'serious business' of play, and the brain at school. The authors reveal that the brain builds largely through automatic programs and adapts to the environment, noting that most kids are like 'dandelions'—they will develop on schedule as long as circumstances are acceptable if not perfect . . . Though the brain develops according to its own schedule, there are practical steps . . . to enhance its progress: for instance, though vision develops at its own pace, outdoor play improves it; sports and physical activity benefit the developing brain . . . The authors are consummate myth busters: birth order, research reveals, has little impact on personality, and the left-brain is as emotionally charged as the right. In this info-packed text, Aamodt and Wang offer some familiar advice (e.g., no videos for children under two) as well as some thought-provoking revelations."—Publishers Weekly