In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Silton, Nava R.: - Nava R. Silton, Ph.D. is a Developmental Psychologist with a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University. She is a Full Professor at Marymount Manhattan College, where she teaches classes in Child Development, Cognition, Personality, Creativity, Children's Media and has won numerous Teaching, Research and Advising Awards. She has worked at Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop and has consulted for Disney, Netflix, Apple, Blue's Clues & You, 9Story Media Group and The Autism Seaver Center. She also serves as a Developmental Psychologist for Gan Aliya and Manhattan Day School. She has appeared over 150 times on Fox 5 News as a Parenting and Developmental Expert, and has appeared on Good Day New York, Good Day Street Talk and NBC. Silton has written over 36 peer-reviewed journal articles, over 20 chapters, book reviews and encyclopedia entries and has edited seven full textbooks, and this is her eighth. Her first two books discuss innovative technologies for individuals with autism and other disabilities, her third delves into creativity, her fourth into family dynamics and romantic relationships, her fifth explores the constructs of happiness, gratitude, kindness, empathy and well-being, her sixth text discusses best parenting and child development practices for the 21st century, her seventh discusses the impact of COVID-19 on children, adolescents and adults and her eighth discusses the benefits of creative arts therapies for children, adolescents and adults. Silton also created The Realabilities Educational Comic Book Series ( ), which offers 18 comics (12 on disabilities and 6 on mental health disorders) and two instructional manuals for use in classrooms across the world. The disabilities-based series, which received The Reader's Favorite Award and was a Page Turner Awardee has now been translated into Hebrew and Spanish and is currently being translated into Chinese and French, as well. Due to the popularity of The Realabilities Educational Series in the schools, Silton created Addy & Uno, The First Family Musical about Disabilities, Bullying and Kindness. Addy & Uno, which was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award, ran Off-Broadway for over 18 months at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in Manhattan ( ) and is now being developed by the Jim Henson Company for TV. She also is developing another show with LeVar Burton Entertainment. In addition, Silton created a Child Development and Parenting Podcast, entitled A Cup of Java with Dr. Nava. She also created Bashert,, a brand-new card game which helps individuals connect and forge meaningful relationships with others. Finally, Nava recently penned four feature screenplays, Pure, The Prof, Jackpot and Toycoon. All four screenplays have already achieved significant recognition (Finalist, Semifinalist and Quarterfinalist designations) in over twenty screenplay contests. Most recently, Silton was identified as one of the Top 50 screenwriters on the ISA Fellowship slate. Silton is married to Dr. Ariel Brandwein and has five children; three boys and two little girls.
