Definition for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (Birth to 5):
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Programs (Birth to 5) 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 five years of age. Infant and early childhood mental health approaches support the child within the context of their relationship with their parents and other primary caretakers. Infant and early childhood mental health programs also help develop capacity in the child for expressing emotions, forming close and secure relationships, and mastering their environment. Infant and early childhood mental health programs can potentially interface across the child welfare service continuum, from working with parents and their infants/young children in prevention-based voluntary services to supporting structured visitation processes with the infant/young child and their parental/caretaker while attempting to reunify. Infant and early childhood 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. Per the DC:0–5™ Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood Version 2.0:
Diagnosing an infant/young child who is experiencing mental health problems must include developing an understanding and appreciation of the family’s cultural background and the parents’ socioeconomic conditions, national origin and history, immigration status, ethnic and racial identity, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual practices, and other sources of diversity (p. 9).
Target population: Children from birth up to five 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 five 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.
Disadvantaged families with mothers with children eighteen months old and younger; families can include teenage parents, parents with mental health ...
Families, specifically parents and their infants/toddlers ages 0 (during pregnancy) to 36 months, who present with challenges to the parent-child relationship, ...
Parents/caregivers of children from birth through three years of age
Why was this topic chosen by the Advisory Committee?
This was written when the topic area was the Infant and Toddler Mental Health Programs (Birth to 3) which was prior to December 2021.
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.
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Programs (Birth to 5) topic area was added in 2009. Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH was the topic expert and was involved in identifying and rating any of the programs with an original load date in 2009 (as found on the bottom of the program's page on the CEBC) or others loaded earlier and added to this topic area when it launched. The topic area has grown over the years and any programs added since 2009 were identified by CEBC staff, the Scientific Panel, and/or the Advisory Committee. For these programs, Dr. Leslie was not involved in identifying or rating them.
