Review by Choice Review
A far cry from Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" antidrug campaign of the 1980s, this manual of strategies to combat epidemic child and adolescent substance abuse is necessarily multifaceted. The editors and contributors, all experts in the field, detail precise interventions centered on parenting and family relationships, child social competence, self-regulation, and school achievement. The key frameworks are multicultural in scope, based on behavioral and cognitive theory yet compassionate, and sequenced along developmental lines such as early childhood and preadolescence. Though the conclusions are unavoidably reliant on the outcomes of specialty programs, the message is a strong one: plan the program systematically, build in an evaluation component from the beginning, and never forget the larger social and economic forces that place young people (ages 4-14) at risk for illegal substance abuse. Prevention is the primary force here, occasionally overwhelming the other equally useful interventions. But with its superior integration of methodologically sound research and practice, this book will prove to be a solid guide for a range of service providers, from school administrators to direct social service providers, and for those in training. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and practitioners. E. A. Danto City University of New York Hunter College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
