Building on the legacy of Drs. Suzanne D. Dixon and Martin T. Stein, Dixon and Stein’s Encounters with Children, Fifth Edition, offers a unique, how-to approach to understanding the developmental stages of childhood, providing practical strategies for today’s clinicians who interact with children and families. Unlike pathology-focused pediatrics texts, this compact volume examines typical child development and offers expert guidance on childhood stages, developmental challenges, family wellbeing, and social determinants of health. From the neonatal visit and newborn exam through the late adolescent years, this highly regarded reference provides thorough, evidence-based guidance with an emphasis on relationships as central to a child’s wellbeing. Content is aligned with the well-child visit schedule, making it highly relevant to new and experienced clinicians alike. Now under the expert guidance of new editors, Drs. Jenny Radesky and Caroline Kistin, this edition.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.

Building on the legacy of Drs. Suzanne D. Dixon and Martin T. Stein, Dixon and Stein’s Encounters with Children, Fifth Edition, offers a unique, how-to approach to understanding the developmental stages of childhood, providing practical strategies for today’s clinicians who interact with children and families. Unlike pathology-focused pediatrics texts, this compact volume examines typical child development and offers expert guidance on childhood stages, developmental challenges, family wellbeing, and social determinants of health. From the neonatal visit and newborn exam through the late adolescent years, this highly regarded reference provides thorough, evidence-based guidance with an emphasis on relationships as central to a child’s wellbeing. Content is aligned with the well-child visit schedule, making it highly relevant to new and experienced clinicians alike. Now under the expert guidance of new editors, Drs. Jenny Radesky and Caroline Kistin, this edition.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.