January 9, 2012

“Inside a Child’s Mind” Series Begins at Library

Sam Wang, associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University and co-author of Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows From Conception to College, will launch Princeton Public Library’s “Inside a Child’s Mind” series Wednesday, January 18 at 7 p.m.

In their book, Mr. Wang and co-author Sandra Aamodt challenge popular myths and misinformation about brain development and how children think. During his appearance, Mr. Wang will discuss the book’s surprising revelations and offer practical advice backed by real, reliable science about issues such as sleep problems, ADHD, language learning, gender differences and autism.

The series continues at the library on February 15 at 7 p.m. when Christiane Fellbaum presents “Language Acquisition and the Bilingual Child.” Ms. Fellbaum, a Princeton University professor, will review recent findings comparing the linguistic and cognitive development of monolingual and bilingual children and examining the nature of the “Bilingual advantage” from a range of different perspectives.

“Conversations with Autism” is the March 8 segment of the series and features a discussion with Outreach Specialist Michelle Brooks of Eden Autism Services and Sean Fitzmaurice, a junior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, who is living with autism and is interested in a career that involves helping and advocating for students with disabilities. The discussion takes place at 7 p.m.

The series concludes Wednesday, April 18, when children’s librarian and literacy expert Kapila Love presents “Reading the World and Other Miraculous Feats for People Big and Small” at 7 p.m. Ms. Love, editor of the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s Early Literacy Manual, will focus on “the fundamentals: a way to look at reading, and children’s reading particularly, that is compassionate, humanistic and downright magical.”

Professional development credits are available for educators who attend programs in the Inside a Child’s Mind series, all of which take place in the library’s Community Room.