Home Visiting: Promoting Healthy Parent and Child Development.

Klass CS. Baltimore, MD 21285, Paul H Brookes Publishing Co, 1996, paperback, 327 pp, $34.

The author states, "This book is designed for home visitors and those adults who do supervision, preservice, and in-service professional development of home visitors." She describes home visiting as "a new profession in which adults strive to assist other adults in improving their everyday family life." Typically, this intervention is aimed at enriching the environment and development of very young children through the interaction between the children and their caregivers.

The first section specifically concerns the profession of home visiting and includes basic information on the practice of home visiting, such as establishing relationships with the parents, communication, and interpersonal skills. Professional development is also discussed. The second section describes healthy parent and child development and methods for educating parents on how they can facilitate this development. Topics in this section include sense of self-, guidance and discipline; communication and language; routines, rituals, and celebrations; play, learning, and development; and siblings. Each of the chapters in this section describes age-appropriate development from early infancy to age 5 and the difficulties and dilemmas particular to each topic. The final section explores the relationship of person to profession through the family histories of two model home visitors.

The text is written clearly and is well-organized. Examples of interactions between home visitors and parents are woven throughout this book and demonstrate the principles and approaches discussed. The information is detailed and encompasses all areas of development. For those in the profession of home visiting, this book is an excellent reference both on overall professional issues and on the "how-to's" of practice.

Because physical therapists and occupational therapists are typically well-educated in child development, this book is valuable to these professionals mainly due to the information and examples concerning roles and relationship-building with the parent. Valuable insights can be obtained and applied by therapists who need to relate to and educate parents as part of the therapeutic process. I would highly recommend that pediatric therapists who regularly make home visits read this very well-written and informative book.

Andi Beth Mincer, PT Armstrong Atlantic State University Savannah, Go

Ms Mincer is Assistant Professor in the physical therapy curriculum and has a variety of clinical experience, including home care.