The book mirrors the organization and coverage of existing family communication textbooks, making it a valuable addition to coursework about families, communication, and development. Chapter topics include:

• an overview of communication development: universal stages and cultural variations;


• communication development at home: nonverbal, verbal and mediated skills;


• relational and group dynamics in the home, including variations by ethnicity and family configuration;


• family roles and family rules for providing stability and structuring behavior;


• family resiliency in coping with challenges;


• strategies for fostering positive communication development in the home.

Families Communicating with Children emphasizes the positive effects of family influence, and draws attention to cross-cultural variations in parenting as well as universal steps in development. These features clarify the process of communication development and offer an optimistic view of the future for the many shapes families assume today.