How early care shapes a child’s development—and why maternal presence matters.
This nonfiction study follows institutionalized infants and compares them with babies raised in families during the first year of life. It presents a careful, longitudinal look at how deprivation of maternal care can affect personality, language, emotion, and behavior, and it outlines practical implications for improving infant care in institutions.
- Learn how lack of consistent maternal interaction can delay speech and language development, and why this area is particularly vulnerable.
- See how infants respond to toys and social interaction, and what that reveals about perception, motor skills, and learning.
- Understand the role of nurturing relationships in emotional development and the formation of early social ties.
- Discover how the findings can inform foster-home care, staff training, and policies aimed at supporting better outcomes for deprived infants.
Ideal for readers involved in child care, early development, or policy, this edition offers concrete insights into the first year of life and the effects of institutional care.