Challenges to Developmental Paradigms [antikvár]

Over the past 30 years there has been a resurgence of research interest in early child development. However, the foundations for much of the theory underlying early child development and the clinical procedures currently used by psychologists, pediatricians, neurologists, occupational, physical and speech therapists, were cast in the 15 year period prior to 1940. The current resurgence has been distinguished not only by a dramatic increase in research productivity but also by the development of more sophisticated research designs and methodologies. A primary reason for compiling this book is to bring some of the fruits of this research effort to the reflective practicing chnician. Many of the recent findings are at odds with prevailing clinical assumptions and practice. The discussion of infant tests of mental development (Chapter 6) illustrates this point. The assumption of sensorimotor intelligence underlying current infant tests is strained by the recent research on infant attention. Of practical consequence, an alternative information processing approach to mental assessment reveals that prevailing infant tests are biased against the very children most in need of assessment— children with expressive language delays, delayed motor development, and behavior problems. Similarly, at least one aspect of the view of early motor habilitation proposed by Katona (Chapter 9) is diametrically opposed to current theory and practice. A clear implication of Katona's habilitation program for children at risk for cerebral palsy is that elementary neuromotor patterns must be stimulated—a premise that contradicts a basic tenet of Neurodevelopmental Theory, the dominant conceptualization supporting physical therapy in practice today. The point behind these challenges is not to cause a full scale, immediate, and uncritical embrace of the new work, but to generate a serious examination of the evidence supporting and refuting prevailing theories and practices. The read-