Interoception, the eighth sensory system, connects emotional regulation, perspective-taking, and problem solving- foundational skills needed for future success. There has been limited research on interventions with children encompassing interoceptive awareness, the awareness and perception of sensations from inside the body. The information…

Media literacy experts have been teaming up with early childhood practitioners to develop a framework for a new way of thinking about raising kids in a digital and media-centric world. Their ideas are encapsulated in the Media Literacy in Early Childhood Report (Herdzina & Lauricella, 2020) that explores how to help young children learn how to…

Parents with young children receiving relationship-based home visiting and infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) services want flexibility and hybrid approaches that combine in-person and remote services. This is the top finding from a national study of parents served by seven geographically and demographically diverse program sites…

More than a decade of research on how young children learn and connect via video chat takes on new importance as families and educators navigate relationship-building and learning during the pandemic. In this brief review, the authors summarize findings on how babies, toddlers, and their families have used video chat successfully to connect and…

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…

Early relational health (ERH) is not a new field, but an enhanced focus on knowledge from infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), neurodevelopment, and related fields. ERH brings attention to the centrality of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and resilient communities as drivers for current and future health and well-being of…

Racism, inequalities, and injustices continue to exist in American social structures, institutions, and systems of care. This article explores how the field of mental health is influenced by practices rooted in White supremacy culture and requires a paradigm shift toward a multidimensional view of risk, resilience, and protective factors. Becoming…

The Reflective Interaction Observation Scale (RIOS™) was developed as a research tool to identify the extent to which a supervisory session demonstrates a reflective process grounded in infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) principles and practice. It is aligned with the competencies of the Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive,…

This mixed methods study aimed to better understand the training and supervision needs of those in infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) leadership positions. The study used individual interviews and online surveys to explore the question "What does it mean to be a leader in IECMH and what unique challenges do they face?" 10…

The use of developmental milestone checklists is an excellent opportunity to highlight significant behaviors and the ages at which the majority of children display the behaviors. The checklists are intended to help parents know what to expect as their young children grow and when it is appropriate to refer their child to an expert for a screening…

There is great opportunity in pediatric primary care to lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being during the critical period from infancy to early childhood. However, many of these opportunities are missed, particularly for the most vulnerable children. The challenges to equitable, universal developmental and behavioral screening in…

The increase in the prevalence of smartphones and mobile devices has spurred changes in the caregiving environment of infants and young children, as phones and mobile devices are used at times during caregiving and in caregiving spaces. This use could create disruptions and cause distractions during parenting (termed technoference). This article…

Researchers from the Happy Teacher Project found that many early childhood teachers experience stress and demonstrate lack of well-being at rates and levels that threaten the quality and sustainability of the workforce. Further, working with children exposed to trauma adds significant emotional and physical burden on teachers who already struggle…

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…

This article focuses on the fundamental role that early childhood educators (ECEs) play in the lives of infants and very young children and their families--underscoring the power of early interactions and relationships between infant--toddler and preschool educators and the children in their programs. The authors explore the ECEs' unique roles,…