The University of Washington School of Nursing has announced the re-naming of its Center on Infant Mental Health & Development to the Barnard Center, in honor of renowned nurse and researcher Kathryn Barnard. A longtime School of Nursing faculty member, Barnard is known for her pioneering research on the importance of early caregiving relationships for infant development and well-being.At a June 7th reception announcing the name change, Barnard remarked, “naming of the Center on Infant Mental Health and Development to the Barnard Center, after my family, means a great deal to me as the last person in my Barnard clan. With my never marrying or having children myself, naming of the Center gives me a legacy.”
Barnard recognized that caring for infants and young children is challenging in the best of circumstances. Even when adults do their best, babies may cry inconsolably, sleep erratically, feed with difficulty or develop poorly. When they have concerns, parents turn to many kinds of professionals to help their babies. These professionals may be very knowledgeable about infant development, but rarely know how to treat the baby within the context of the child-parent relationship. At the Barnard Center, professionals from many disciplines learn how to help parents have the warm, happy relationships with their children that support maximum growth, regulation and learning. In turn, babies are given the best possible start in life. Research indicates that nurturing relationships are vital to child development, and, as Barnard says, “the first three years last a lifetime.”
Monday, June 25, 2012
On New Name for U of W's Center on Infant Mental Health & Development: The Barnard Center
Our proximity to the U of W has given many of us the opportunity to hear live presentations by leaders in Infant Mental Health, one of whom is Kathryn Barnard. -gw
Monday, June 18, 2012
On What It Takes to Stay in Relationship: Despite the best firetrucks, they play for two seconds and they're gone
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Some more tantalizing clips of Tweety Yates at the all-day pre-conference training she provided at the Early Childhood Conference in Tacoma early last month. She is such a gem of a teacher! -gw
On Supporting Relationships for Infants and Toddlers With Two Homes: Available guidance
Mark Rains and Betty Tableman, Authors
This second edition booklet summarizes what infants/toddlers who live between care giving families, due to divorce or placement in foster care, need for sound social and emotional development. Intended for judges and court personnel, child welfare and mental health professionals and parents, the booklet includes guidelines for visitation, suggestions for parenting across two homes, resources for parents and a bibliography for professionals. The material was originally developed for families experiencing divorce. The new edition has been reworked to include information for infants and toddlers separated from parents because of abuse/neglect, as well as those experiencing divorce.
Available through the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health website, by clicking on the above link.. - gw
Monday, June 11, 2012
On States Respond to the Need for Early Childhood System Collaboration: Washington and Colorado
- We license and monitor Washington's 7,400-plus licensed child care settings in family homes and centers that serve about 174,000 children. Our licensors support child care business owners and their staff in offering safe, healthy care, and take action if settings are found to be unsafe for Washington's children.
- We oversee the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), the state-funded preschool program that helps prepare low-income 3- and 4-year-olds for success in school and life. Since 1985, ECEAP has focused on the well-being of the whole child by providing in-depth nutrition, health, education and family support services.
- We set policy for child care subsidy programs, which let parents know their children are well cared for while they are working, in school or looking for work. We partner with the Department of Social and Health Services, the state agency that decides who is able to receive subsidy benefits and makes the payments to child care providers.
- We coordinate early intervention services for children birth to age 3 who have disabilities and/or developmental delays through the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program . These services may include specialized instruction, speech therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy that can help young children. The program also supports parents as the most critical influence on their child’s early learning and development.
- We partner with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to oversee the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), which helps ensure smooth transitions into kindergarten.
- We lead the statewide effort to deliver home visiting services to vulnerable children and families.
- We oversee the state professional development system to help ensure that for those who care for and teach young children continue to increase their skills and education levels.
- We work to boost the quality of early learning programs around the state and share information with families about quality through our state.
Washington State has it's Department of Early Learning. The state of Colorado has its new Office of Early Childhood. -gw
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DENVER — Thursday, June 7, 2012 — Gov. John Hickenlooper today announced the creation of an Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to consolidate and better administer early childhood programs in Colorado. This consolidation of programs and services in the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) will support parents by strengthening collaboration and coordination between the state-level early childhood system and local delivery systems.
+“Colorado families and children deserve the opportunity for a fair start,” Hickenlooper said. “This change will create a high-quality early childhood system that streamlines early childhood services to help ensure all children are healthy, valued and thriving.”
+The new office will bring together seven programs that currently exist in four divisions within CDHS:
+• Child Care Licensing• Child Care Quality Initiatives• Colorado Child Care Assistance Program• Early Childhood Councils• Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation• Early Intervention Colorado Program (Part C/Early Intervention)• Promoting Safe and Stable Families
+The move will maximize available resources without incurring additional expenses. Additionally, the OEC will continue to work with many partners, including parents, schools, child care, early intervention, businesses, community organizations and other stakeholders to provide high-quality early childhood programs and effective prevention strategies.
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Sunday, June 10, 2012
On Expanding Services for Infants and Toddlers: Reaching out to more rural programs
You can always count on the meetings of the Peninsula's Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Group to keep you up on new developments affecting services for infants and toddlers in our region. Here Chris gives a run-down on one expansion of services. -gw
On Having an Appropriate Protest Board: What a concept!
Taking a cue from this video, it seems to me that all of us could benefit from having an Appropriate Protesting Board to point to when people don't understand what we are feeling. Behavior is a form of communication, and we are all trying to be understood. -gw
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What's it like to be in preschool?
There is something missing in the telling of this joke, but I don't think you'll mind.
Friday, June 8, 2012
On Kids Who Hurt Other Kids: A story from the Early Childhood Conference
More from Colleen Nolan, M.A., NW Regional ESD, Oregon,who presented on "Understanding and Addressing Challenging Behaviors," at the Infant and Early Childhood Conference in Tacoma in early May 2012. -- a story about a preschool kid who hurts other kids, Below is the rest of the story. -gw
Thursday, June 7, 2012
On Promoting the Health of Girls and Women of Child-Bearing Age: Peer orientation stunts healthy development
“If our society were truly to appreciate the significance of children’s emotional ties throughout the first years of life, it would no longer tolerate children growing up, or parents having to struggle, in situations that cannot possibly nourish healthy growth.”
(Stanley Greenspan, M.D., Child Psychiatrist and Former Director, Clinical Infant Development Program, [U.S.] National Institute of Mental Health).
An ADD forum participant cites an outline by Gabor Maté M.D.that includes the above quote by Greenspan, and reposts its salient points to consider for promoting the health of girls and women of child-bearing age. -gw
How Attachment Supports Parenting and Child-rearing1. Arranges the parent/adult and child hierarchically2. Evokes the parenting instincts3. Commands the child’s attention4. Keeps the child close to the parent/adult5. Makes a model out of the parent/adult6. Designates the parent/adult as the primary cue giver7. Makes the child want to be good for the adultPeer Orientation Stunts Healthy Development1. The flight from feeling2. Immaturity, lack of individuality3. Aggression4. The making of bullies and victims5. Precocious, inappropriate sexuality6. Unteachability
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
On Barriers to Provision of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Analysis by Zero to Three
Barriers in BriefA. The evidence base for I-ECMH is not reflected in public policy for mental health, early learning and development, or health care reform (including Medicaid and managed care).B. Systemic reimbursement issues hinder the ability to pay for I-ECMH.C. Eligibility determination and diagnosis impede appropriate I-ECMH services.D. There are not enough providers with training in I-ECMH.E. The broader system that serves young children does not adequately incorporate I-ECMH services.The bottom line is that states and communities don’t have the I-ECMH services that infants and young children need, don’t have the people to provide them, and don’t have a system that will pay for them. These issues need to be taken up by federal and state decision-makers so that the early foundational development of all infants and young children will enable them to realize their full potential.
This monograph by Zero to Three puts forth the argument for policy-makers to beef up support for infant and early childhood mental health. -gw
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Promoting Mental Health in School Settings: From early childhood through high school
School based mental health challenges:
- School - family - community disconnect
- Variable use of data-based decision-making
- Variable use of evidence-based practices
- Poor implementation fidelity
- Reactive exclusionary consequences
- Non-evidence-based practices
- Special education v. mental health v. general education
On Autism Treatment Through Parent Child Interaction Therapy: Study results
The results from parents who participated in PCIT therapy with their children also represented a 44.4% improvement in these externalizing (or disruptive) behaviors overall, when compared to the group not participating in the PCIT program.Children with a severe ASD seemed to make the greatest gains during the Child-Directed Interaction portion of the treatment (which focuses on play), while the behavior of children with milder forms of the disorder improved during both this phase and the Parent-Directed portion (which focuses on behavior management).The study was presented during the International Meeting for Autism Research May 17-19 in Toronto, Canada.
Another study that demonstrates the broad application of Parent Child Interaction Therapy. -gw
Monday, June 4, 2012
On Links of Special Interest to Teachers: Getting on the same page
I had opportunity to consult with a group of dedicated elementary teachers this morning and this afternoon to pull together this list of links that I thought might be useful to them. -gw
Positive Behavior Support is outlined here: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/pbs/process.htm
The Pyramid Model is described here: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/pyramid_model.htm
A Pyramid Model slideshow: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/camtasia/pyramid_overview/pyramid_overview_captions.html
The Individualized Interventions page is here: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/pbs/pbs.htm
The Buddy System is outlined here: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/teaching_tools/toc/folder2/2a_buddy.pdf
Social story tips here: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/pbs_docs/social_story_tips.pdf
Tips and ideas for making visuals: http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/pbs_docs/social_story_tips.pdf
And on the CSEFEL site, these strategies for teaching social skills: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#teachingskills
Tools for developing behavior plans: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#toolsplans
Please note that, although the TACSEI website focuses on young children, the model can certainly be applied to elementary aged children as well.
Materials specifically for older children can be found on the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support site: http://www.pbis.org/default.aspx
Materials outlining PCIT skills for teachers can be found in this PDF, the specific pages listed below.
http://pcit.phhp.ufl.edu/Presentations/PCIT%20Integrity%20Checklists%20and%20Materials%204-13-06.pdf
Page 20: Child-directed interaction skills, the basic skills for use in creating warmth of relationship, are outlined here. These skills are used during times when the child can have the lead.
Pages 70-71: Essential elements of parent-direct interaction, eight rules for effective commands, should govern the language used during those times when adults have to be in charge.
Pages 198-199: Differential social attention for ADHD
Page 211: Praise handout for teachers
Page 212: How to create great labeled praise
Pages 213-217: Discipline handout for teachers
At the heart of it all, the skills that would put teachers and parents -- and all caregivers who work with children -- “on the same page,” can be found on just three pages: 20, 70 and 71.
Friday, June 1, 2012
On PCIT: Improving the Lives of Traumatized Children
Above is Shannon Dorsey from the U of W speaking on the use of Parent Child Interaction Therapy with traumatized children. Many therapists in my department know her for her work on Trauma Focused - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), but before that her primary work was with PCIT. -gw
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