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Adapting developmental science for a world of diverse families

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2026

Jeremy I. Borjon Open the ORCID record for Jeremy I. Borjon [Opens in a new window] ,
Valerie P. Bambha Open the ORCID record for Valerie P. Bambha [Opens in a new window] ,
Dajie Zhang Open the ORCID record for Dajie Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Luise Poustka Open the ORCID record for Luise Poustka [Opens in a new window] ,
Christian P. Schaaf Open the ORCID record for Christian P. Schaaf [Opens in a new window]  and
Peter B. Marschik Open the ORCID record for Peter B. Marschik [Opens in a new window]
Jeremy I. Borjon*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA jiborjon@uh.edu Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, USA vbambha@uh.edu Texas Center for Learning Disorders, University of Houston, Houston, USA Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Heidelberg, Germany dajie.marschik@med.uni-heidelberg.de luise.poustka@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Valerie P. Bambha
Affiliation:
Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, USA vbambha@uh.edu
Dajie Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Heidelberg, Germany dajie.marschik@med.uni-heidelberg.de luise.poustka@med.uni-heidelberg.de Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience (iDN), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Luise Poustka
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Heidelberg, Germany dajie.marschik@med.uni-heidelberg.de luise.poustka@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Christian P. Schaaf
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany christian.schaaf@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Peter B. Marschik
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Heidelberg, Germany dajie.marschik@med.uni-heidelberg.de luise.poustka@med.uni-heidelberg.de Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience (iDN), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Göttingen, Germany peter.marschik@med.uni-heidelberg.de Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Region Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden https://www.borjonlab.com/ https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/en/center-for-psychosocial-medicine-zpm/clinic-for-child-and-youth-psychiatry https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/en/kliniken-institute/institute/institute-of-human-genetics
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

As developmental science expands globally, its theories and methods must rise to the challenge. Children worldwide develop within caregiving ecologies that often differ from traditional family models. Understanding how infants adapt within these contexts reveals general principles of human development. Achieving this requires structural change: consensus-building, open methods, and theories grounded in the environments where most children actually grow up.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e262
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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