Our world is a talking world. Effective speaking may be the most important skill your child will learn. The problem is that many of us have become so accustomed to speaking and listening that we take them both for granted. Consequently, many parents assume that their children will somehow learn to talk without any help. We say to ourselves,"I learned to talk by myself, and they will too."The truth of the matter is that learning to talk doesn't always just happen. It is no sudden miracle of good luck. Most children will not need any special attention to learn to talk, while others might require more help to guarantee that their language skills will develop to their maximum. The quality of children's speech and language skills is directly related to the things that happen to them during their preschool years. Someone must provide meaningful situations that will help children use and understand their language.Parents are the logical people to accept this responsibility to assure the quality of their child's speech and language skills. Language abilities will be needed once your child enters school since three fourths of classroom time is spent in speaking or listening. The activities in this book will do much to help any child prepare for those school activities. These recommendations will be of greatest value to your child if both parents take time to use them. The experienced authors who wrote this handbook have attempted to advise and inspire you. I, for one, plan to follow their guidelines. As a speech specialist, I know they work. As a new parent myself, I have a two-month-old daughter waiting for me to teach her to talk. The welcome use of this book will help us both to enjoy it. L. E. Miner, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois

Children and young people have much to offer the community they live in, but are often excluded in decisions and policies that affect their development, as their own opinions are ignored or overruled much of the time. Participatory approaches used in development in a practical framework can provide the vehicle needed to include children in the decision-making processes which affect their communities, and can have far reaching implications for policies and practice.;This text presents the key issues and challenges involved in facilitating children and young people's participation in the development process. The contributors come from a range of backgrounds including NGOs in development, children's agencies, academic institutions and governments, bringing a multi-disciplinary approach to children's participation.;Chapter One provides an overview to the main issues and concepts, and chapters Two to Seven each expand on a particular theme, drawing on case studies from around the world. The main issues discussed and analyzed include: the ethical dilemmas that face professionals in addressing children's participation; the process and methods used in participatory research and planning with children; the inter-relationship between culture and children's participation; consideration for institutions; and the key qualities of a participation programme for children and young people's participation.