Melissa Burnham, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Contact information: (775) 784-7012
Sarah Fleischmann Building: 209
mburnham@unr.edu
Areas of Specialization
Infant and child development
Early childhood education
Research Interests
- Examining development in different contexts, especially biological development within family and child care settings
- Progressive models of early childhood education and their impact on child development
Recent Publications
Burnham, M. M. (2007). The ontogeny of diurnal rhythmicity in bed-sharing and solitary-sleeping infants: A preliminary report. Infant & Child Development, 16(4), 341-357.
Burnham, M., & Lawler, J. (2006). The complete idiot’s guide to sleep training your child. New York: Penguin.
Burnham, M. M., Gaylor, E. E., & Anders, T. F. (2006). Sleep disorders. In J. Luby (Ed.), Handbook of preschool mental health: Development, disorders, and treatment. Guilford Publications.
Hanft, A. Burnham, M., Goodlin-Jones, B., & Anders, T. F. (2006). Sleep architecture in infants of substance abusing mothers. Infant Mental Health Journal, 27(2), 141-151.
Gaylor, E. E., Burnham, M. M., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., & Anders, T. F. (2005). A longitudinal follow-up study of young children’s sleep patterns using a developmental classification system. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 3, 44-61.
Mao, A., Burnham, M. M., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Gaylor, E. E., & Anders, T. F. (2004). A comparison of the sleep-wake patterns of co-sleeping and solitary-sleeping infants. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 35, 95-105.
Burnham, M. M., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Gaylor, E. E., & Anders, T. F. (2002). Use of sleep aids during the first year of life. Pediatrics, 109, 594-601.
Classes Taught
HDFS 204 Child Guidance & Parenting
HDFS 250 Early Childhood Education
HDFS 431a Advanced Studies in HDFS: Infancy
HDFS 431b Advanced Studies in HDFS: Early Childhood
HDFS 435 Child Socialization: A Systems Perspective
Background Information
2002 Ph.D. in Human Development, University of California, Davis
1996 M.S. in Human Development & Family Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
1994 B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
Current Projects
- Working with other faculty members in the department on a grant studying the influence of home and child care environments on toddlers’ language and literacy skills
- With other faculty, working to implement and teach a progressive approach to early education; exploring research methods to measure concurrent and longitudinal impact on young children
Other Relevant Information
- Undergraduate program coordinator and advisor for Early Childhood Education
- Advisor for HDFS majors with an area of concentration in child and adolescent development
- Faculty advisor to the UNR Student Member Section of the Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children