Objectives
1. To increase knowledge about infant mental health including:
- What is infant mental health
- Factors that influence positive infant mental health
- Factors that derail healthy development of mental health in the early years
- Experiences that cause trauma for infants
- The impact of poor infant mental health – short term and long term
- How the presence or the absence of the attachment relationship can irreparably derail a child’s development
2. To understand the effect of neglect and/or maltreatment on child development – short term and long term such as:
- The application of the science on brain development, epigenetics, toxic stress and attachment as it may apply to cases in which young children have experienced high conflict, exposure to violence, neglect or abuse
- What situations may increase or decrease a child’s stress
3. To identify Judicial options specific to infants and toddlers who may be are at risk for poor mental health as a direct result of their early care giving experiences that may have included neglected, physical abuse, maltreatment, sexual abuse.