David Oppenheim, Ph.D. is Professor and former Chair in the Department of Psychology and a member of the Center for the Study of Child Development at the University of Haifa, Israel. Dr. Oppenheim’s research focuses on the central importance of attachment relationships for children’s social and emotional development. In particular, his research has examined the role of parental Insightfulness and parent-child open communication in the organization of attachment relationships throughout childhood. Dr. Oppenheim’s studies on these questions involved longitudinal studies, and included typically developing children, children at high risk such as those in foster care and those whose parents experienced trauma, and children with atypical development such as Autism and Mental Retardation. In addition to a focus on basic research, Dr. Oppenheim's writing and teaching stresses the clinical application of developmental research for work with young children and their families. This includes work of mental health professionals and also the work of other professionals working with young children experiencing stress or with special needs.