The University of Minnesota's Birth to Three Clinic has adopted a holistic approach to supporting children's needs within an attachment-focused, trauma-informed, and neurodevelopmental framework rooted in the DC:0-5™ classification framework. This clinical framework of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) assessment has been applied in…

Children develop within the context of caregiver--child relationships, each presenting with their own unique strengths, areas of growth, and compatibility of fit. Instead of the traditional viewpoint that child symptoms are generalizable across contexts and would emerge across relationships, the DC:0--5™: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health…

States need a policy and systems infrastructure that creates a robust continuum of mental health supports and services for infants, young children, and families. One critical element of this continuum is developmentally appropriate diagnosis. "DC:0-5[TM]: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and…

The "DC:0-5[TM]: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood" (DC:0-5) includes significant revisions, making it a substantially different diagnostic framework from its predecessor, DC:0-3R. The Nordic countries have a long history of using the DC system. The Nordic DC:0-5…

The use of the multiaxial dimensions of the DC:0-5 classification system during the assessment process provides an organizing framework for understanding the impact of family relationships on a child's functioning. In this article, the authors describe an assessment with a high-conflict family and how contrasting the impact of parental conflict…

In this article, the authors describe a 3-year initiative in New York state, led by the New York Center for Child Development (NYCCD), through which more than 2,500 mental health clinicians were trained in the DC:0-5. Funding was provided through the creative use of the Preschool Development, Birth to Five federally funded Block Grant, and…

Developing a cultural formulation during a diagnostic assessment with a young child is the foundation for work with diverse families. It requires critical reflection on the part of the clinician about the socio-cultural, historical, and political influences and consequently aspects of privilege and oppression in their own lives and professional…

Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) facilitates access to interventions that improve outcomes for children and families. Understanding developmental and behavioral manifestations of symptoms and competencies improves early diagnosis. The authors illustrate the benefits of using the ZERO TO THREE "DC:0-5™: Diagnostic…