From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2001)

From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, edited by Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, Washington DC, National Academy Press, 2000, 588 pp, $39.95 (hardcover). The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine have published a major new review of the state of our knowledge of child development in the first 5 years of life. The editors are pediatrician Jack Shonkoff and psychologist Deborah Phillips with a multidisciplinary committee of 18 additional experts who are mostly psychologists. The authors describe the impetus for this massive effort as arising from (1) an explosion of research knowledge about early life experiences from neurological and behavioral sciences and (2) dramatic social changes that have constrained our ability to use this knowledge constructively. They stress that the question confronting us, as professional persons and the general public, is how to use this knowledge better for the benefit of individuals and the nation. Ten "core concepts" of development are presented at the outset. They can be summed up as a thorough endorsement of development's "dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience." Four "overarching themes" are offered: "All children are born wired for feelings and ready to learn; Early environments matter and nurturing relationships are essential; Society is changing and the needs of young children are not being addressed; Interactions among early childhood science, policy, and practice are problematic and demand dramatic rethinking" (pp. 3-4). The wide range of comprehensive chapters contains discussions of the developing brain, linguistic and cognitive growth, making friends, acquiring self-regulation, parental resources and nurturing relationships, childcare, neighborhoods, and interventions. It would be an impossible task for any one person to perform a thorough and expert analysis of the entire text of over 500 pages. Instead, I offer a detailed review from the point of view of my own special area of interest, temperament differences. I am pleased to report that from this perspective the book is truly outstanding. Reviews or texts of child development typically either ignore temperament differences completely or make only a token mention and then forget about them. This book is unique among such general presentations in that it discusses the nature of temperament and then integrates consideration of it into the various pertinent areas like social relations, conscience development, self-regulation, and coping skills. This is a major step forward after a long period of neglect. Not wishing to diminish this considerable accomplishment, I must nevertheless point out that, among the 27 references to temperament cited in the index, not one acknowledges their debt to the groundbreaking work of psychiatrists Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas, without which most of the reported research by psychologists might not have happened. Also, other important investigations by medical temperament researchers in such areas as physical health care, colic, accidents, growth, and substance abuse are largely overlooked. These omissions may be attributable to the particular composition of the editorial committee and certainly seem to reinforce the authors' own call for greater interdisciplinary collaboration. Thus, readers will get from this volume a broad and timely review of what we now know about child development in the first years of life. It has some gaps in the coverage, at least as seen by this reviewer, but it is nevertheless impressively comprehensive. In particular, the extensive inclusion of the presence and pervasive significance of temperament differences makes this book extraordinary. Because of its great detail, it will probably not serve as a primary text for the clinical training of physicians, psychologists, or educators. However, it should be an excellent advanced review and resource for all of them and a compelling call to action for advocates of the well-being of our children. William B. Carey, M.D. Division of General Pediatrics; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania