Definition for Infant and Toddler Mental Health Programs (Birth to 3):
Infant and Toddler Mental Health Programs (Birth to 3) are defined by the CEBC as those that address mental health issues and early attachment disruptions by intervening through parental/caretaker guidance, supportive counseling, and parent/infant dyadic psychotherapy in children from birth up to three years of age. Infant and toddler mental health approaches support the child within the context of his/her relationship with parents and other primary caretakers. Infant and toddler mental health programs also help develop capacity in the child for expressing emotions, forming close and secure relationships, and mastering their environment. Infant and toddler mental health programs can potentially interface across the Child Welfare service continuum, from working with parents and their infants/toddlers in prevention-based voluntary services to supporting structured visitation processes with the infant/toddler and their mother while attempting to reunify. Infant and toddler mental health programs could also potentially play a key role in supporting the relationship between the care provider and the reunifying parent through a permanency teaming approach.
Target population: Children from birth up to three years of age
Services/types that fit: Typically outpatient services, either individual or family that target the child directly, work with the parent and child together, or target the entire family
Delivered by: Mental health professionals or trained paraprofessionals
In order to be included: Program must specifically target mental health or attachment issues in children from birth up to three years of age
In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines outcomes related to mental health or attachment in young children or their parents, such changes in symptom levels, behaviors, and/or functioning
Programs in this Topic Area
The programs listed below have been reviewed by the CEBC and, if appropriate, been rated using the Scientific Rating Scale.
One Program with a Scientific Rating of 1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence:
Disadvantaged families with mothers with children eighteen months old and younger; families can include teenage parents, parents with mental health ...
Parents/caregivers of children from birth through three years of age
Why was this topic chosen by the Advisory Committee?
The Infant and Toddler Mental Health Programs (Birth to 3) topic area is relevant to child welfare because infants and toddlers represent the fastest growing age group of children being removed from their homes as a result of abuse or neglect and placed in foster care in the United States. Nationally, approximately 50,000 infants under 12 months (NCANDS) enter foster care every year; they make up one third of all admissions into the child welfare system. According to National Data (NCANDS) for 2007, children younger than 1 year accounted for 42.2 % of all child fatalities, while children younger than 4 years accounted for more than three quarters of all child fatalities. In addition, scientific evidence shows that 75% of the brains wiring occurs by age 1, and 90% by age 5, and research indicates trauma from abuse and neglect adversely impacts proper neural development. All of this shows the importance of early intervention with this young child population. Child Welfare needs to integrate evidence-based strategies in the continuum of services they provide that maximize healthy relationships for the child ages 0-3 in order to minimize and mitigate harmful impacts on brain development and future negative behavior.
Laurel K. Leslie, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics Tufts Medical Center, Floating Hospital for Children Director, Aligning Researchers and Communities for Health (ARCH) Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute Boston, MA
