Coding Tips for Pediatricians When Screening Trauma Related Concerns

The following are coding tips for evaluations involving  screening and anticipatory guidance related to trauma and other mental health/developmental concerns.

Download the guide here (PDF)

NC Infant/Young Child Mental Health Association Conference

Hopscotch staff attended the NC Infant/Young Child Mental Health Association Conference and Annual Meeting Exploring the Foundations of Parent-Child Relationships on November 9, 2012. 

The conference was an invaluable experience, which we hope will translate into better support for our families, as you each navigate your way through parenting children that have experienced deprivation.

The guest speaker, Dr. Edward Tronic, presented his research, the Flat Face project.  Notably, children residing in institutional care, being cared for by mothers suffering from post partum depression or poor quality child care, are at high risk for developing mental health challenges and developmental delays.

Hopscotch continues to value ongoing training and as we learn, we will share with you too.

 


Dr. Ed Tronick, director of UMass Boston's new Infant-Parent Mental Health Program and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, discusses the cognitive abilities of infants to read and react to their social surroundings. The video is an excerpt from Lovett Productions' , HELPING BABIES FROM THE BENCH: USING THE SCIENCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD IN COURT.

Using the "Still Face" Experiment, in which a mother denies her baby attention for a short period of time, Dr. Tronick describes how prolonged lack of attention can move an infant from good socialization, to periods of bad but repairable socialization. In "ugly" situations the child does not receive any chance to return to the good, and may become stuck.

Food Obsession

A common question we receive from parents is what to do about newly adopted children who are obsessed with food. Some kids are extremely stressed around food and may even eat to the point of vomiting. See our "Ask the Expert" section on AN.org for a recent response to this issue.

Read More: http://adoptionnutrition.org/faq/#food_control

5th Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95, The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005

The Fifth Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95, The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 has been released.  The report highlights continued efforts made by the U.S. Government to improve coordination on behalf of vulnerable children. In keeping with the PL 109-95 mandate to coordinate and disseminate evidence-based best practices, the Secretariat is making strides to firmly and strategically integrate children's developmental protection within health, education and other sectors, thereby  laying the groundwork for coordinated interventions that more effectively address the complex nature of children's risks and opportunities. The report also captures key outputs from the recent U.S. Government Evidence Based Summit on Protecting Children outside of Family Care. The full report can be found here (PDF).

Attachment and Trauma in Early Childhood Presented by: Charles Zeanah, MD

Young children who experience serious adversity are at risk for long-term health and mental health difficulties. Serious adversity may result from absence of expectable environmental responsiveness, as in neglect and deprivation, or from presence of toxic stressors such as abuse or witnessing violence. In this session, we will consider both aspects of adversity, their effects on young children, and use in-depth case presentations to illustrate treatment approaches.

Dr. Charles Zeanah is the Sellars-Polchow Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Tulane University. He is also the Executive Director of the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health.

Dr. Zeanah’s academic interest has been in the area of infant mental health, particularly in understanding infants' development in the context of the infant-parent relationships. He conducts research on the effects of abuse, neglect, serious deprivation and exposure to violence on young children and on interventions designed to help them recover.

http://www.infantinstitute.org