From Birth to Sixteen

This new edition of From Birth to Sixteen outlines children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development from infancy through to adolescence. In both its practical application of research and its contribution to the assessment of child development, this text provides essential reading for students and practitioners in nursing, health visiting, play work, youth work, early years education, teaching, social work and occupational therapy.

This innovative and broad-ranging text is accessible and engaging, with case studies, tables, and references to relevant studies making links to professional practice throughout. Taking into account the diversity of ways in which children develop – including considerations of gender, ethnicity, social background, disability and resilience – it presents developmental models for the years from birth to sixteen under each of the following themes:



children’s rights and responsibilities

relationships in the family

relationships in day care, at school and with the peer group

language and communication

children and the media

health and physical development

mental health. This fully updated new edition offers additional content on topics such as attachment theory, the neuroscience of the brain, sleep patterns, multi-lingualism in childhood, disability, making the transition to young adulthood, and impact of war and other forms of adversity on emotional health and well-being. A companion website offers additional teaching and learning resources for students and lecturers.

From the foundations of the subject through to its application in practice, From Birth to Sixteen provides an indispensable companion for those studying child development or working with children.