There are many individuals who are important in the development of this book. I am indebted to the pediatricians who shaped my thinking about children, families, and the practice of pediatrics, including Drs. John Castiglione, Louis Fraad, William Nyhan, Samuel Spector, Stanford Friedman, John Kennell, and T. Berry Brazelton. I especially want to thank my colleague, Dr. Suzanne Dixon, with whom I collaborated during a twenty-year period at the University of California San Diego.
There are many other colleagues in the emerging specialty of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics who continue to work with me and teach me about ways to assist pediatricians to become more effective in counseling parents and the early recognition and treatment of children with develpmental and behavioral conditions. They include Drs. Michael Reiff, Heidi Feldman, Ellen Perrin, Paul Dworkin, William Coleman, Lane Tanner, Jim Perrin, Mark Wolraich, Esther Wender, William Carey, Ronald Barr, Randi Hagerman, Barbara Howard, Robert Needlman, and David Snyder. My colleagues in San Diego, Philip Nader, Laurel Leslie, Barbara Loundsbury, Dorothy Johnson, Eyla Boies, and Howard Taras continue to support this work.
I also wish to express sincere appreciation to Robert Lescher, Dr. Spock’s literary agent for many years. He steadfastly encouraged and guided the publication of this book. Dr. Spock wrote the original articles included in this book for two magazines for parents. Bruce Raskin encouraged and guided the publication as Dr. Spock’s editor at Parenting magazine. Sylvia Koner was his editor at Redbook. I am also grateful to Tracy Bernstein, a superb editor at Pocket Books.
Dr. Benjamin Spock’s legacy is sustained today at drSpock.com, a company that disseminates his writings and contemporary information for parents. The leadership of that group worked with me and actively encouraged the development of this book. I appreciate the support from Douglas Lee, John Buckley, David Markus, George Strait, and Drs. Laura Janna, Robert Needlman, and Lynn Cates.