Briefing Paper: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Early Intervention (Part C) - Policies and Practices for Supporting Social-Emotional Development

Oct 15, 2026

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Briefing paper analyzing infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) policies and practices within early intervention (Part C) programs. It focuses on meeting the social-emotional and mental health needs of infants and toddlers by strengthening relationships with parents and other caregivers. The document outlines relevant foundations, key concepts such as toxic stress, trauma-informed care, and resilience, and discusses referral, screening, assessment, and eligibility, including use of DC:0-5 and caregiver-focused evaluation tools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages101

Reading Time4 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Glossary

Introduction

Early Experiences, Social-Emotional Development and Mental Health of Young Children

The Importance of Early Relationships

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress

Trauma-Informed Care

Resilience

Developmental Delay, Disability, and Parenting

Overview of Early Intervention Part C and IECMH

Early Intervention (Part C) Foundations

IECMH Foundations

Intersection Between Early Intervention Part C and IECMH

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Referral, Screening, Assessment, and Eligibility

Referral and Screening

Evaluation and Assessment

Tools For Assessing Social and Emotional Development

Considerations For Including a Mental Health Professional As Part of the Evaluation Team

Use of the Diagnostic Classification DC:0-5

Other Assessment Tools Focused on the Parent-Child Relationship

Eligibility Criteria

Services and Practices

Briefing Paper: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Early Intervention (Part C): Policies and practices for supporting the social and emotional development and mental health of infants and toddlers in the context of parent-child relationships May 2022 This briefing paper explores Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) policies and practices that state early intervention (Part C) programs may consider implementing to meet the social-emotional and mental health needs of infants and toddlers in the context of relationships with their parents and other caregivers. An online edition of this paper is available at: [https://ectacenter.org/topics/iecmh/iecmh-partc.asp](https://ectacenter.org/topics/iecmh/iecmh-partc.asp)[ ](https://ectacenter.org/topics/iecmh/iecmh-partc.asp)[Alternatively](Alternatively) , scan the following QR code: Suggested Citation Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (2022) . Briefing paper: infant and early childhood mental health and early intervention (Part C): policies and practices for supporting the social and emotional development and mental health of infants and toddlers in the context of parent-child relationships. FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina. [https://ectacenter.org/topics/iecmh/iecmh](https://ectacenter.org/topics/iecmh/iecmh)partc.asp The ECTA Center is a program of the FPG Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, funded through cooperative agreement number H326P170001 from the Office of Special Education Programs , U.S. Department of Education. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the Department of Education's position or policy. Project Officer: Julia Martin Eile Contributors................................................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 8 Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 16 Early Experiences, Social-Emotional Development and Mental Health of Young Children ... 17 The Importance of Early Relationships............................................................................................ 17 Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress ..........................................................................19 Trauma-Informed Care ....................................................................................................................20 Resilience ........................................................................................................................................21 Developmental Delay, Disability, and Parenting..............................................................................22 Overview of Early Intervention Part C and IECMH................................................................ 22 Early Intervention (Part C) Foundations ..........................................................................................23 IECMH Foundations ........................................................................................................................25 Intersection Between Early Intervention Part C and IECMH ................................................. 28 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion........................................................................................................29 Referral, Screening, Assessment, and Eligibility..................................................... 31 Referral and Screening ......................................................................................................... 32 Referrals of Children with Social and Emotional Delays ..

FAQs

What is the main focus of IECMH within Early Intervention Part C?

It examines how Part C programs can implement policies and practices to support infants’ and toddlers’ social-emotional development and mental health in the context of parent-child and caregiver relationships.

How does the paper address early relationship impacts on mental health?

It highlights the importance of early relationships and connects them to factors such as toxic stress, trauma-informed care, and resilience during early development.

What does the paper cover regarding screening, assessment, and eligibility?

It describes approaches for referral and screening, outlines evaluation and assessment tools (including caregiver-relationship focused tools), and discusses eligibility criteria and the use of diagnostic classification DC:0-5.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Connor