Child Myths

Straight Talk About Child Development

Jean Mercer is a developmental psychologist with a special interest in parent-infant relationships. See full bio

November 9, 2009

Learning Right From Wrong: How Does Morality Develop?

"That child is so bad! He needs somebody to teach him right from wrong." An adult who says this usually really means that he or she would like someone to scold or spank that annoying child. Read More

November 7, 2009

Homelessness, Parenting, and Attachment

Most of us have seen a pitiful sight, either in photographs or in reality: a homeless mother and one or more young children, sitting in a doorway, wrapped in blankets against the cold, with their few possessions next to them in a shopping cart. Read More

November 4, 2009

Away With the Asperger's Diagnosis: What's It All About?

There are going to be some changes made, according to news stories on the reports of the groups working on the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Read More

November 2, 2009

Hi,Sugar: The Halloween Candy Myth

Everybody knows that eating a lot of candy makes children "hyperactive". If they didn't eat so many sweets, they wouldn't be like that, and when they get lots of sweets, their behavior is just awful. Yes, we do know that... or don't we? Read More

October 31, 2009

Precocious Puberty: How Early Is Early?

Several weeks ago, I commented on the ways new diagnoses and definitions have changed our view of autism, and how the statistics about autistic disorders have been affected by the way we define them. Today I want to discuss another phenomenon of development that looks different depending on the way we define it. Read More

October 25, 2009

Dizzy, Delightful, or Irrelevant: How Did Vestibular Stimulation Get So Much Attention?

I recently received a children's book catalogue that I've been getting for years and have always liked. Like most book catalogues, it includes toys and goodies for mothers as well. This time, it included a sort of sliding and riding toy, and here's what the description said: Read More

October 25, 2009

Great Big Ol' Surprise: Baby Einstein Doesn't Work

According to Saturday's New York Times (Oct. 24, 2009), the Walt Disney Company is offering refunds to parents who bought "Baby Einstein" materials to make their kids geniuses, but guess what, the kids did not become geniuses (whatever geniuses are). Read More

October 22, 2009

Child Abuse: Why Do They Do It?

For some years now, I've been studying situations where parents choose unresearched mental health treatments that can harm or even kill their children. There are obviously many similar situations that have to do with physical health. In addition, parents sometimes choose to use child-rearing techniques that are seriously abusive. Read More

October 19, 2009

Ask the Guy Who Usually Knows: Children's Belief

Parents and judges often assume that preschoolers believe whatever someone tells them, and that they easily accept another person's statement as correct. Of course, preschoolers are lacking in general knowledge and are not necessarily in a position to evaluate another person's accuracy or truthfulness. Read More

October 19, 2009

Rett Syndrome Awareness Day

A message about Rett Syndrome, one of the pervasive developmental disorders (which include autism), has come to me from Theresa Barlotta, the mother of a Rett Syndrome daughter. Read More

Books by Jean Mercer, Ph.D.

Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings

Understanding Attachment: Parenting, Child Care, and Emotional Development

Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (Child Psychology and Mental Health)

Child Development Basics

The speedy physical and psychological changes that children undergo from birth through adolescence often leave parents wondering how best to care for them at each stage. From how to talk so kids will listen to when to back off and allow them to fail, PT's experts weigh in.

Go to the Child Development Basics page for more on Child Development including:

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Books by Jean Mercer, Ph.D.

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