For families of an infant leaving the NICU, nothing¿s more exciting¿and challenging¿than the critical transition to home life with their baby. Support the NICU-to-home transition with this accessible book, the complete guide to helping parents meet their baby¿s special needs and promote optimal development in the first year after homecoming. Invaluable for a wide range of professionals¿including early interventionists, OTs, PTs, public health nurses, physicians, and social workers¿this book is the key to providing family-centered, developmentally supportive guidance in the months after the NICU. Professionals will deepen their understanding of the emotional and physical challenges of the NICU experience, and they¿ll get in-depth guidance on how to support parents effectively as they ¿ Manage the changes to their daily routines and home environment ¿ Recognize, interpret, and respond to the baby¿s signals and behaviors ¿ Actively encourage motor and language development ¿ Identify concerns about the baby¿s development With this definitive guide from two leading experts in infant development and early intervention, professionals will provide sensitive, effective support and guidance to new parents as they make a smooth transition to home life and develop strong relationships with their babies.

Kathleen A. VandenBerg, Ph.D., is Academic Administrator and Center Director/NIDCAP Master of the West Coast NIDCAP AP1B Training Center at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Neonatology. Marci J. Hanson, Ph.D., is Professor of Early Childhood Special Education at San Francisco State University.