Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health LEND Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Friday, October 2, 2015 Mary Dallas Allen, PhD, MSW

Objectives Define infant and early childhood mental health Discuss the core principles of infant & early childhood mental health Discuss the importance of relationships for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities LEND

Mental Health LEND

Infant Mental Health LEND

Mental Health Mental Illness LEND (University of Minnesota Extension, Children, Youth & Family Consortium)

Infant / Early Childhood Mental Health Young child’s capacity to: experience, regulate, and express emotions form close & secure relationships and explore the environment and learn LEND (Zero to Three, 2001)

Optimal Mental Health Influenced by: Genetics Relationships Family Community Physical health LEND (University of Minnesota Extension, Children, Youth & Family Consortium)

Serious Mental Illness Optimal Mental Health Serious Mental Illness No Mental Illness LEND Poor Mental Health (University of Minnesota Extension, Children, Youth & Family Consortium)

Core Principles of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Relationships are central First years of life are important Understanding the infant’s experience is critical (Zeanah & Zeanah, 2009) LEND

Context of Infant Mental Health Occurs within the context of family, community, and cultural expectations for young children LEND

Basic Practices in IMH: Developing Relationships Be present Observe Listen Wonder / Reflect Respond / refer (Goldberg & Weatherston, 2009) LEND

Importance of Relationships LEND

Overview of Brain Development Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University Neuroplasticity Critical periods Sensitive periods LEND

Experiences Build Brain Architecture Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University Neurons send electrical signals to communicate with each other Connections form circuits that become the basic foundation of brain architecture Serve and return LEND

Video Still Face Experiment: Dr. Edward Tronick LEND

Beyond Stigma: Infant Mental Health is NOT Diagnosing and treating “mental illness” Something for the mental health consultant / professional to deal with Not my job “One more thing” I have to do Beyond our control Doing mental health screening and assessment only LEND

Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Providers Families Social workers Early interventionists Speech language therapists Occupational therapists Physical therapists Early childhood educators Special educators Behavioral health clinicians Home visitors Psychologists Policy makers Nurses Judges University/ community college faculty Researchers Pediatricians Lawyers Advocates Law enforcement Others? LEND

You can: Work with young children to support their optimal mental health Work with families to help them understand their child’s perspective, to develop parenting skills, and to destigmatize mental health Incorporate mental health promotion activities into your agency Work to change policies: advocate for access to children’s mental health services, early intervention, and high quality early care and education LEND

Endorsement in Infant Mental Health Alaska Association of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (AK AIMH) 4 Levels of Endorsement Level 1: Infant Family Associate Level 2: Infant Family Specialist Level 3: Infant Mental Health Specialist Level 4: Infant Mental Health Mentor: Infant Mental Health Mentor LEND

Web Resources on IMH University of Minnesota Extension – Children, Youth & Family Consortium http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/cyfc/videos/#historical Harvard Center on the Developing Child http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/council/ Alaska Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health www.akaimh.org EHS National Resource Center http://www.ehsnrc.org Zero to Three http://www.zerotothree.org World Association for Infant Mental Health http://www.waimh.org LEND

Clinical Reflection Describe the clinical experience / event How did you interpret or make sense of the experience? Emotional response; personal ethics; professional values & ethics What expectations did you have? Were they confirmed or challenged? What was the context? Did your interpretation align with feedback from patients, family members, team members, others? How will the experience inform your practice? What knowledge or expertise do you need to support your future practice? LEND

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