THE B O O K SHELF Andr~ D. Lascari, Editor

Book review

At-risk infants: Interventions, famil ies and re- search Anas t a s iow N J, H a r e l S. Bal t imore: Paul H. Brookes,

1992. $47. 191 pages.

Pediatricians have long been in the position of assuming leader- ship in the care of infants and young children. Intervention services for those youngsters with developmental disabilities is an idea whose time has come. The pediatric community needs to come to grips with a whole range of issues that affect the children and the families they serve. This book tries to help with a basic under- standing of intervention strategies. A result of an international conference of the same name, it is divided into the three central themes of the title: issues in interventions, family perspectives, and research approaches. It is not meant to be a comprehensive text on intervention and, because it is based on conference proceedings, does not present a single viewpoint. It does highlight some impor- tant review discussions by respected individuals in the field of child development. They summarize a particular area or give insight into approaches to problems. Important topics that are covered include a review of early intervention, ethical issues, challenges in service delivery, impact of low birth weight on the family, efficacy of early family intervention, biologic correlates of neonatal behavior, intrauterine growth retardation, and neural development. These review chapters are suitably supported with up-to-date references, present a well-rounded view of the problem, and will be of interest

and use to the general pediatrician. However, given the complexity of the problems that the text attempts to review, the chapters are sometimes too short and the theoretical underpinnings not fully developed, leaving the specialist in development perhaps less satis- fied with the presentation. Other chapters are not intended as over- views of topics but present the current investigatory approaches of specific researchers. These chapters are generally not clinically oriented but will be of interest as new approaches to the study of interventions.

This text will be of interest to a cross-disciplinary group of pro- fessionals involved in child development, including pediatricians. It will be of most use to those with more than a passing interest in de- velopmental disabilities and will less likely be read from cover to cover by the general pediatrician, who may find only portions of the book of practical use and interest. The reader will be disappointed if he or she is looking for an exhaustive and comprehensive discus- sion of the process of intervention, family issues, or current research. Despite these concerns, much of At-Risk Infants makes for interesting and informative reading and would be helpful for persons interested in early childhood development.

Anthony Malone, MD Department of Pediatrics Albany Medical College

Albany, NY 12208

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