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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
The competent newborn and the neonatal behavioral assessment scale: T. Berry Brazelton's legacy
1Brazelton Institute, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. kevin.nugent@childrens.harvard.edu
Abstract:
This article celebrates Berry Brazelton's extraordinary contribution to our understanding of child development by focusing on two representative themes. The first is that newborns are competent and organized from the very beginning and that the neonate is in a dynamic rather than passive relationship with the environment. The second is the recognition that the newborn period is an extremely sensitive stage in the transition to parenthood and as such may be the intervention "touchpoint" par excellence for professionals who are dedicated to giving children and families the best possible start in life.
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