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Roots and Wings: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Roots and Wings: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Angela M. Tomlin, Ph.D., HSPP Riley Child Development Center LEND IAITMH. Early Childhood Mental Health Definition ZERO TO THREE (2002). The child’s developing capacity to : Form close and secure interpersonal relationships

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Roots and Wings: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

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  1. Roots and Wings:Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Angela M. Tomlin, Ph.D., HSPP Riley Child Development Center LEND IAITMH

  2. Early Childhood Mental Health DefinitionZERO TO THREE (2002) The child’s developing capacity to : • Form close and secure interpersonal relationships • Experience, regulate and express emotions • Explore the environment and learn • All within the context of family, community, and cultural expectations

  3. Stages of Attachment (Bowlby) • Limited discrimination (0-2 mos.) • Discrimination with limited preference (2-7 mos.) • Preferred attachment (7-12 mos.) • Secure base/Safe Haven (12-18 mos.) • Goal corrected partnership (18 mos.- 4 yrs.)

  4. What do we mean by Social and Emotional Skills in young children? • Forming close relationships with others • Self-soothing • Sympathy and empathy toward others • Self-control/inhibition • Following instructions • Cooperation • Sharing • Theory of Mind skills

  5. Ghosts and Angels in the Nursery • Early childhood mental health specialists refer to challenging relationships as “ghosts in the nursery” • More recently, it has been acknowledged that positive past experiences also exert influences. These relationships have been termed “angels in the nursery”

  6. How this works:Internal Working Models • Over time, your experience of being cared for creates expectations about • how relationships work, • how you expect to be treated, • and about yourself (sense of self) • These cognitive sets are called IWM • Once set, the IWM guides, interprets new relationships

  7. Internal Working Models • If you had an insecure early relationship • Chances are you will: • View new relationships through that lens • Tend to misinterpret other’s behavior, intentions with a bias toward insecurity • Try to shape new relationships to fit your model

  8. Earned Security • Some people have continuous security from infancy through adulthood • Some adults who were raised in adverse situations nevertheless have secure states of minds as adults, attained by intact self-reflection skills or through a process of experiencing a positive relationship. • Adults who overcome adversity to become secure as said to have earned security

  9. Parent-Provider Relationships • Understand parent behavior:It hurts to give that what you did not receive (Circle of Security) • Use your relationship to help:Corrective Attachment Experience (Lieberman) • Recognize and understand your own reactions

  10. Parent-Provider Relationships:Parallel Process • Model an appropriate relationship • Be consistent and reliable • Provide emotional support/contain emotions • Set boundaries as needed • Be attentive—listen and observe well • Avoid judgment • Match your response to where the parent is • Hold the parent in mind

  11. Use Reflective Methods • Wonder about the child’s thoughts, feelings, and actions • Wonder about the parent’s experiences • Be aware of your own feelings and responses—recognize and manage • Promote the parent’s reflective capacity by asking the right questions

  12. Highlight Strengths • Helping parents see what they do well improves their sense of self-efficacy • Parents who feel more effective are more responsive to their babies • Pointing out mistakes is unlikely to motivate people to change • Many parents also need help to accurately see their baby’s response to them

  13. How Highlighting Strengths Helps You in Your Work • Hearing positives increases the parent’s interest in working with you (think positive reinforcement) • Parent will be more willing to accept and ask for your help when you are positive • Finding strengths leads you to solutions to problems

  14. Materials to Use and Share • iaitmh.org • See our Announcements and Reflections • zerotothree.org • Check out the NTI, Policy Center, and more • CSEFELhttp://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/index.html • Handouts, curriculum and videos • TASCEIwww.challengingbehavior.org • Handouts, curriculum

  15. Indiana Endorsement • IAITMH is offering endorsement to all infant toddler providers • Endorsement is a way to show your competence in working with the social and emotional needs of very young children • Endorsement information can be found on our website, iaitmh.org

  16. Questions & Discussion • Contact info:atomlin@iupui.edu

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