Overview

This session will explore strategies to strengthen capacity of state IDEA Part C programs to identify and meet social–emotional and mental health needs of young children. Participants will review results of a 50-state survey on this topic and discuss trends, key questions, and innovative approaches in early intervention policy and practice.

Faculty & P-5 Competency Domains

Faculty: Andy Gomm, Public Consulting Group; Elisabeth Burak, MPP, MSW, Georgetown University; Lindsay Usry, MPH, ZERO TO THREE, Sheila Smith, PhD, National Center for Children in Poverty

P-5 Competency Domains:

• P-5 (6) Leadership to Meet Family Needs and Improve Services and Systems
• P-5 (4) Health and Developmental Protective and Risk Factors

Presenters have affirmed that they do not have proprietary interest in products, instruments, devices, services or materials discussed in this event, and have confirmed that they have not been compensated in relation to this presentation.

Overview

The interface between emotional development and education is a process of developmental integration of experience during the preschool years and is essential for preparing young children with autism (birth to 5) for successful learning. This process is one of experience acquired through interactions within relationships that allow you to know your feelings, desires, and sense of who you are, in conjunction with experience discovering the environment. Experience even has its own developmental progression or hierarchy, and we will describe the infant’s role in taking charge of his personal experience which creates need, desire, and persistence to learn.

Based on the Developmental, Individual Difference and Relationship Model and Foundational Capacities for Development, we will also explore how education is a process, rather than content, and how emotions organize social, intellectual, and functional capacities such as social attention, initiation, intentionality, problem solving, and symbolic expression of emotions. We will examine the barriers related to the child’s individual differences, which is basically what autism is—brain wiring differences, the accommodations that might impede development, and how relationships provide the perfect platform for the child’s neuroception of safety for discovery and emotional readiness for competence and confidence as a learner.

(Note: Issue Intensive sessions are designed to be delivered in two parts. Part Two of this session is featured on the same day at 3:30 pm.)

Faculty & P-5 Competency Domains

Faculty: Monica Osgood, Celebrate the Children School; Serena Wieder, PhD, Profectum Foundation

P-5 Competency Domains:

• P-5 (1) Early Childhood Development
• P-5 (4) Health and Developmental Protective and Risk Factors

Presenters have affirmed that they do not have proprietary interest in products, instruments, devices, services or materials discussed in this event, and have confirmed that they have not been compensated in relation to this presentation.

We describe findings from an investigation of thoughts, observations, and experiences of African American families and HealthySteps Specialists of color with Early Relational Health (ERH) screening. Findings led to development of Early Relational Health Conversations, a family- and culture-centered model for ERH screening. Eight components and implications for antibias practice will be presented.

Marie-Celeste Condon, Assistant Professor, Center for Child and Human Development

Dominique Charlot-Swilley, Program Director- HealthySteps/Clark Parent Child Network

Tininka Rahman, Senior Advisor Birth-to-Three Policy , Communications and Partnerships

Medically fragile children and parents may experience trauma related to hospitalization and treatments. COVID-19 amplifies the risk for trauma because of limitations of parental presence. This session emphasizes an infant mental health and trauma perspective aimed at “frontline” workers who care for vulnerable infants and families in hospitals and communities.

This presentation will review current guidelines for incorporating biological caregivers into trauma treatment for young children in foster care. Case examples within Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) will be used to illustrate these considerations.

Elissa Dougherty, Researcher

Glenn Mesman, Assistant Professor

Sufna John, Associate Professor

The child welfare Issue Intensive will focus on the importance of prevention upstream for young children and families at risk of entering the child welfare system. A focus will be on the Family First Prevention Act which emphasizes the importance of children growing up in families and ensures that if a young child must be placed in foster care, they are placed in the most family-like setting possible with much effort made to maintain the relationship with their parent. The Intensive will also explore the direct experiences of child welfare workers providing services for infants and toddlers through their voiced experiences to provide advocacy needed for children, families, and child welfare workers.

Brenda Jones Harden,

Joy Osofsky, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry; Professor of Child Welfare and Psychiatry

Julie Collins,

Natalie Craver, Community Partnership Administrator

Cristina Galto,

Darneshia Allen, Director of Practice and Field Operations

The child welfare Issue Intensive will focus on the importance of prevention upstream for young children and families at risk of entering the child welfare system. A focus will be on the Family First Prevention Act which emphasizes the importance of children growing up in families and ensures that if a young child must be placed in foster care, they are placed in the most family-like setting possible with much effort made to maintain the relationship with their parent. The Intensive will also explore the direct experiences of child welfare workers providing services for infants and toddlers through their voiced experiences to provide advocacy needed for children, families, and child welfare workers.

Brenda Jones Harden,

Joy Osofsky, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry; Professor of Child Welfare and Psychiatry

Julie Collins,

Natalie Craver, Community Partnership Administrator

Cristina Galto,

Darneshia Allen, Director of Practice and Field Operations

It is critical to identify mental health and developmental needs and provide appropriate services early. Yet early childhood mental health (ECMH) assessment is rarely incorporated into provider training. This Issue Intensive will take a deep dive into three ECMH assessment training projects, including: a prerecorded overview, live Q&A, facilitated discussion, and small-group breakouts.

Karen Appleyard Carmody, Associate Professor

Mindy Kronenberg, Director of Quality Improvement and Community Programs, Vanderbilt Center of Excellence, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Megan Julian,