Brazelton, T. Berry papers, 1949-2007 (inclusive), 1971-2004 (bulk). H MS c244

Brazelton, T. Berry papers, 1949-2007 (inclusive), 1971-2004 (bulk). H MS c244

T. (Thomas) Berry Brazelton (1918- ), pediatrician and author, is the founder and former director of the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and the developer of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, often referred to as "the Brazelton." Brazelton established the Child Development Unit in 1972 as a pediatric training and research center, serving as Director from 1972 to 1989. While at the Child Development Unit, Brazelton developed the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) in 1973, which he later updated in 1984 and 1995. The Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale uses visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli to assess the physical and neurological responses of newborns, as well as their emotional well-being and individual differences. Brazelton is Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus at Harvard Medical School. In 1992, the T. Berry Brazelton Chair for Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital was established in his honor. His main areas of research include developmental processes in normal and at-risk infants, the assessment of neonatal behavior, medical intervention with premature and small for gestational age infants, the development of early mother-infant interaction, and cross-cultural studies of infant behavior. Brazelton is author of Infants and Mothers (1969), What Every Baby Knows (1987), and Touchpoints (1993). From 1984 to 1995, Brazelton hosted the television program "What Every Baby Knows."
Consists of research records from Brazelton’s activities as Director of the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital, Boston, as well as records resulting from Brazelton’s professional activities as a private-practice pediatrician and author. The bulk of the papers contain research and administrative records from the Child Development Unit during Brazelton’s tenure as director and include audiovisual research records, correspondence, grant records, financial records, consultation reports, and personnel records. Papers also include drafts and final copies of lectures, speeches, speaking notes, publication chapters, scholarly journal articles, and writings for consumer magazines that address various topics in parenting and child development. Also contained in the collection are: the records of the Brazelton Foundation; correspondence written to Brazelton by consumers seeking parenting advice; audiovisual records of Brazelton’s television programs, including "What Every Baby Knows," television appearances, and speeches; memorabilia consisting of clippings, correspondence, event records, and photographs; and research films by Myrtle B. McGraw.