Crying as a Sign, a Symptom, and a Signal

Book excerpt: Originally viewed as a sign of disease, crying is now understood as a symptom of problematic functioning in early development. We now know a great deal about normative developmental patterns of infant crying and how they are manifested in various clinical settings--emergency room complaint, painful procedures, colic, temper tantrums, and nonverbal and mentally challenged infants. Crying as a Sign, a Symptom and a Signal brings the reader up to date on this new evidence concerning infant crying in the first few months and years of life. In this authoritative clinical text, an international team of experts explore this new conceptualization of the significance of early infant crying. They bring both historical and methodological perspectives to a multidisciplinary synopsis of the new understanding of this important infant behavior.