. >> brown: john merrow tells the story of pediatricians with a new prescription: books to build better brains. >> there's solid research that shows that just that intervention of handing a family a book, giving them a couple of age-appropriate pieces of advice about how to read with their kid and just encouraging reading, they-- those kids will do better in school. >> woodruff: and from politics here to the power shift in china. margaret warner looks at the communist party congress charged with unveiling that country's new leadership. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> wo

the "newshour's" special correspondent for education, john merrow, has the story. >> hi, how are you.tell me shadman's birthday. >> reporter: today, two-year-old shadman uddin is here for his routine check up. his pediatrician, dr. cindy osman, checks his eyes, ears and heart, but that's not all. >> so tell me what kinds of things he says these days? >> juice, water. >> great. does he ever put words together? give me some examples of times he puts words together. >> mommy and umara do this. >> okay, so he's doing great with his language. >> my role is to help parents parent more effectively. how to connect with their kids more effectively, what kinds of activities they can do that will better stimulate their cognitive development and get them better prepared for doing better in school. >> reporter: she's a new breed of pediatrician. part doctor, part teacher. >> you can see a lot in how they handle a book. you can check out their fine motor skills. so i'm both checking their development and i'm getting a sense of how frequently they're read to. >> reporter: dr. osman works in the pedi