Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health

Childhood experiences can affect a person’s lifelong health. Thinking Developmentally presents a clinical framework for understanding the impact of toxic stress and both adverse and affiliative childhood experiences on development. It makes a compelling case that many diseases of adulthood are not adult-onset, but rather adult-manifest, based on genetic and epigenetic consequences from early childhood experiences. Garner and Saul examine the needs of children and the role of parents, caregivers, the community, and medical practitioners in ensuring that children have safe, stable, and nurturing relationships. They explore community empowerment and offer suggestions for applying developmental science to help bring about healthy children, nurturing families, and caring communities.