JAMES GARBARINO is a professor at Cornell University, a world-renowned expert of child-abuse prevention, and a prolific author. He lives in Ithaca, New York.

"This well-written, comprehensive, often wise book should become a standard, well-thumbed reference for all adults who wish to increase their competency in communicating with children. Its wisdom is that while it consistently offers practical advice, it never offer simplistic solutions to the very complicated task of getting accurate information from children." --Children and Youth Services Review

• Foreword. 1. Communicating with Children: Introduction to the Issues. Part One: Developmental Factors Affecting Children'sCommunication. 2. Self-Esteem and Coping. 3. Cognitive Development. 4. Language Development. Part Two: Eliciting Information from Children. 5. Culturally Sensitive Inquiry. 6. Adult Biases and Expectations About Communications. 7. Observing Children's Behavior. 8. Communicating Through Play and Storytelling. 9. Guidelines for Interviewing Children. 10. Using Tests and Other Instruments. Part Three: Communication in Special Settings. 11. Children at Home, in School, and in Day Care. 12. Children in Clinical Settings. 13. Children in Medical Settings. 14. Children as Witnesses.