A central premise of developmentally appropriate practice for young children is the need for professionals to enhance the capacities of families as teachers. Compounding the difficulties facing parents and professionals is the need for comprehensive, meaningful information synthesizing research into practice. Sarah Landy's Pathways to Competence: Encouraging Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Young Children not only meets but exceeds such a challenge. Landy's work is an exemplar of a comprehensive and well-written resource designed to enhance the social and emotional development of infants and toddlers.
Perhaps the most readily apparent strength of "Pathways to Competence" is its organization and layout. Each chapter follows a similar template, moving from theoretical to practical. Theories and definitions of concepts lead to discussions of seminal research findings, which in turn flow into teaching and parenting suggestions. In fact, the latter portion of each chapter is designed to serve as a stand-alone, parent-education program specifically addressing concepts discussed in the chapter. Using this format, Landy not only provides a structure for learning important concepts but also illustrates the relationship between research and practice.
Landy's text opens with a comprehensive discussion of child development and temperament. The foundation for all teaching, principles of development and temperament are clearly and logically defined to facilitate understanding of the risk and protective factors impacting the trajectory of a child's development. Defining child development as "to unfold gradually," the remainder of Landy's book serves two purposes: (a) to arm the reader with a greater understanding of the many capacities and competencies typically developed within the first 6 years of life and (b) to provide a wealth of practical suggestions designed to enhance child development. Citing a sequence of integrated capacities and competencies, Landy's text provides a structured environment for learning about body control and image, attachment, play, language and communication, self-esteem, self-regulation and morality, emotional regulation, problem solving, and empathy.
After providing the reader with a grounding in the principles of development and temperament in chapter 1, Landy addresses the development of body control and positive body image in chapter 2. In this chapter, the author discusses the relationship between body control and body image to a child's self-concept. Following definitions of each, Landy offers several principles for facilitating the development of a positive body image, including providing infants and young children with plenty of touch and physical contact, encouraging toddlers and pre-