Book excerpt: This book offers a fresh and insightful introduction to children's communication development that emphasizes how families help children learn to communicate optimally. 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.