Resources on Infant Mental Health, Risks, and Concerns

Resources on Infant Mental Health, Risks, and Concerns

For more information about infant mental health, risks, and concerns explore the following resources listed as Articles and Publications or by Organization/Publisher. 

  • Articles and Publications
    • Handbook of Infant Mental Health, Charles H. Zeanah, Jr. Ed.(1993, 1999, and 2012 editions).  New York: The Guildford Press. Widely regarded as the standard reference in the field, this state-of-the-art handbook offers a comprehensive analysis of developmental, clinical, and social aspects of mental health from birth to the preschool years. 
  • Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health http://www.mi-aimh.org.  Through its members,  MI-AIMH is dedicated to examining and influencing the contexts within which infants develop the cognitive, neurobiological, social, and emotional functioning necessary for later life, including support, training, and advocacy for promotion/prevention/intervention services, research, education and public policy.
  • Center on the Developing Child, http://developingchild.harvard.edu/. Drawing on the full breadth of intellectual resources available across Harvard University’s graduate schools and affiliated hospitals, the Center generates, translates, and applies knowledge in the service of improving life outcomes for children through science, understanding intervention, and innovation in policy and practice.  All Working Papers below and other publications available at http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/
    • Working Paper No. 1: Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships summarizes the most current and reliable scientific research on the impact of relationships on all aspects of a child’s development.
    • Working Paper No. 2: Children’s Emotional Development Is Built into the Architecture of Their Brainspresents an overview of the scientific research on how a child’s capacity to regulate emotions develops in a complex interaction with his or her environment and ongoing cognitive, motor, and social development.
    • Working Paper No. 6: Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood Can Impair Learning and Behavior for Life summarizes in clear language the most recent scientific advances regarding the importance of addressing emerging emotional and behavioral problems in the early years. 
  • Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation https://www.iecmhc.org.  The Center translates research in early childhood mental health development into materials tailored to the needs of mental health consultants, Head Start program administrators, Head Start staff, training and technical assistance providers and families.
  • Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/ is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country.
    • Attachment: What Works? , What Works Brief Series, #24, Donna Wittmer, Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/what_works
    • Infant Toddler Training Modules address the social-emotional needs of young children. The content of the modules is consistent with evidence-based practices identified through a thorough review of the literature. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/training_infant
    • Research Synthesis:  Infant Mental Health and Early Care and Education Providers  answers some of the most frequently asked questions that early childhood providers have about Infant Mental Health (IMH) – early social and emotional development – and the IMH system. It also provides information about where to turn for additional information for promoting IMH when children and families are experiencing challenges. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/research
  • Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE www.ehsnrc.org serves the Early Head Start community by creating new resources and sharing information related to the unique needs of infants, toddlers, and expectant families and EHS and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs.
  • WestEd Center for Prevention and Early Intervention www.wested.org/cpei provides nationally recognized training, technical assistance and resources for successful education, special education, early intervention, and child care.  WestEd CPEI was coordinator of California’s Infant, Preschool, and Family Mental Health Initiative, publishing useful resources related to infant mental health, professional development, and service design and delivery. 
    • Social and Emotional Well-Being: The Foundation for School Readiness (2006) was developed by Principal Authors: J. Pitel and E. Provance, Contributing Author: C. Kerslake.  Available at www.wested.org/cpei This publication defines infant mental health, describes the efforts of California’s Infant Mental Health Development Project (IMHDP) promoting awareness of infant mental health concepts, highlighting approaches to services, and examining provider competencies, training, and support. 
This product was developed [in part] under grant number 1H79SM082070-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.