Variations in dosage, content, and family engagement with Early Head Start (EHS) home visiting services were examined for families participating in the EHS Research and Evaluation Project. Families were grouped by characteristics of maternal age, maternal ethnicity, and level of family risk. All home visiting variables were related differentially…

This article discusses an ignored problem--the plight of infants and toddlers in foster care who find themselves hospitalized. A majority of the children in foster care will be hospitalized for medical treatment while in foster care because they are more likely to have serious medical problems or developmental disabilities than their age peers.…

Scientific advances in the knowledge of the brain and its functioning are considerable and undeniably useful in child mental health. At the same time, however, observational research on a longitudinal basis is demonstrating the importance of the family environment in a child's early years on adolescent and adult outcomes. Environmental influences…

Families with young children attend well-child visits in pediatric primary care settings frequently during the first 3 years of life and receive information and answers to questions about their young child's health and development. Integrating an infant-early childhood mental health and child development specialist into a pediatric primary care…

At the age of 4 years, Joseph came to the Orleans Parish Early Childhood Supports and Services program (ECSS) for mental health services because of serious aggression and anger. His history included physical abuse before age 2, long-term maintenance on an atypical antipsychotic medication, and other biological, psychological, and…

Pamela High, MS, MD, co-director of the Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic at the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, discusses the phenomena of infant crying and the impact it has on families. In most cases, infant crying will peak and resolve in the early months, but infant irritability can increase the risk of maternal…

The Center for State Foster Care and Adoption Data, operated by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, supports child welfare agencies in using longitudinal data to improve outcomes for children. For the purposes of this article, the authors analyzed data for 14 states from 2000 through 2008 to examine trends in foster care placement, length of…

For thousands of parents of children with delays or disabilities, early intervention (EI) is the start of a lifetime of personal advocacy--learning to speak up on behalf of their own child to obtain the supports and educational experiences that establish future success in school and in life. Facing severe cuts in budgets, narrowing of eligibility…

The Parent-Child Psychotherapy Program (PPP) is a multifamily group therapy intervention for parents and young children at high risk for intergenerational patterns of neglect, abuse, and disorganized attachment. A "developmental and experiential model" that incorporates principles of attachment theory, the PPP addresses parent and child needs…

Child abuse prevention programs have historically focused on individual and family dynamics rather than community-based or societal strategies to prevent child maltreatment. Recently, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of communitywide efforts to prevent child maltreatment before abuse or neglect occurs by offering a continuum…

Recent large federal investments in services for pregnant women and young children will fuel the expansion of home visiting services across the U.S. The authors summarize the history of home visiting and describe trends toward evidence-based and national program models. Moving to an integrated system requires supports for implementation with…

As part of a comprehensive system of support for families with young children, home visiting programs help to ensure that families facing obstacles--such as those caused by stress, language barriers, geographic and social isolation, and poverty--receive the support they need to nurture their child's healthy development. Efforts to support home…

The evidence of the benefits of home visiting has revealed varying results and little is known about the elements that make programs of value to the families at highest risk for dysfunction. The variability in the effects of home visiting programs is linked to many factors, including program content and goals, the family and community context, the…

Infants most vulnerable to trauma are often the least able to access interventions. Universal child-serving systems, such as primary pediatrics, early care and education, and the child welfare system, can offer a port of entry for millions of children annually for trauma-related supports and services. However, practitioners in these systems have…

Parental distress and trauma affects the entire family, including the youngest children. Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS) is a targeted prevention program for high-risk families that aims to enhance family cohesion, support the parent-child relationship, and build emotional regulation, communication, and problem-solving skills across the…