On-Demand: Early Intervention IDEA Part C: Incorporating Infant Mental Health Concepts

Infant Mental Health (IMH) Research is an established body of literature that may be unfamiliar to pediatric physical therapists. IMH research, models and frameworks help all providers working with young children and families identify factors that promote resilience or present risk factors to the development of social and emotional competence. Some United States IDEA Part C programs and program administrators have recognized the value of training EI personnel in IMH research to support family centered practice and to fully include families in team decision making. Early Intervention (EI) services are enriched when multidisciplinary professionals including pediatric physical therapists gain knowledge about infant mental health (IMH) theories and frameworks and utilize IMH constructs during all aspects of EI support including assessment, interdisciplinary teaming, and caregiver support. I will describe how physical therapists and others EI providers have applied IMH concepts in EI prior to the pandemic. I will review how IMH frameworks helped EI professionals trained in IMH to support families and identify shifts in development observed during the pandemic during extensive periods of work from home mandates in Pennsylvania and a qualitative description of the impact of the pandemic to social emotional development in EI. Finally, I will review a growing body of interdisciplinary literature related to how environments are associated with developmental shifts for some children and explore potentially new risks factors and associations between common children rearing practices to social, emotional, and general health and wellness.