This book provides a clinical guide to the psychiatric assessment of infants and young children, birth through five years, and their families. It offers a comprehensive, data-rich framework for conducting mental health assessments of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The book includes a step-by-step guide for evaluation and assessment, reviewing relevant literature and best practices for working with very young children. It begins with an overview of the purpose and principles of psychiatric assessment and offers a protocol for planning and executing a thorough evaluation. Chapters examine critical aspects of the assessment process, including children’s relationships with parents/caregivers, assessment of parents, cultural considerations, and play behaviors. Chapters also provide illustrative case vignettes and information on specialized tools that can be adapted for use in a private office or training clinic. Topics featured in this book include: Play-based assessment models for accessing the inner world of young children. The effect of caregivers and their reflective functioning on the mental health of young children. The use of adult-report rating scales in the clinical assessment of young children. Psychopharmacologic considerations in early childhood. The Clinical Guide to Psychiatric Assessment of Infants and Young Children is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, and related professionals, and graduate students in infancy and early childhood development, pediatrics, social work, psychiatry, and public health. “The volume is both highly practical and up to date, impressively bridging the gap between science and practice. The book is an invaluable guide for students and trainees and an important reference for seasoned clinicians.” David Oppenheim, Ph.D., University of Haifa “The book integrates relational, developmental and social-emotional health dimensions within each chapter, reviewing subjective and objective measures in a range of domains. The book is clear and user-friendly. I wholeheartedly recommend it!” Daniel S. Schechter, M.D., New York University School of Medicine “This important new volume provides multiple perspectives on the entire range of assessment methods and procedures used in early childhood mental health. This is a vital read for students and practitioners.” Charles H. Zeanah, M.D., Tulane University

The Handbook of Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Mental Health Assessment brings together, for the first time, leading clinical researchers to provide empirically based recommendations for assessment of social-emotional and behavior problems and disorders in the earliest years. Each author presents state-of-the-art information on scientifically valid, developmentally based clinical assessments and makes recommendations based on the integration of developmental theory, empirical findings, and clinical experience. Though the field of mental health assessment in infants and young children lags behind work with older children and adults, recent scientific advances, including new measures and diagnostic approaches, have led to dramatic growth in the field. The editors of this exciting new work have assembled an extraordinary collection of chapters that thoroughly discuss the conceptualizations of dysfunction in infants and young children, current and new diagnostic criteria, and such specific disorders as sensory modulation dysfunction, sleep disorders, eating and feeding disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and ADHD. Chapters further highlight the importance of incorporating contextual factors such as parent-child relationship functioning and cultural background into the assessment process to increase the validity of findings. Given the comprehensiveness of this groundbreaking volume in reviewing conceptual, methodological, and research advances on early identification, diagnosis, and clinical assessment of disorders in this young age group, it will be an ideal resource for teachers, researchers, and a wide variety clinicians including child psychologists, child psychiatrists, early intervention providers, early special educators, social workers, family physicians, and pediatricians.

Research has shown that a range of adult psychiatric disorders and mental health problems originate at an early age, yet the psychiatric symptoms of an increasing number of children and adolescents are going unrecognized and untreated—there are simply not enough child psychiatric providers to meet this steadily rising demand. It is vital that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and primary care practitioners take active roles in assessing behavioral health presentations and work collaboratively with families and other healthcare professionals to ensure that all children and adolescents receive appropriate treatment. Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health helps APRNs address the mental health needs of this vulnerable population, providing practical guidance on assessment guidelines, intervention and treatment strategies, indications for consultation, collaboration, referral, and more. Now in its second edition, this comprehensive and timely resource has been fully updated to include DSM-5 criteria and the latest guidance on assessing, diagnosing, and treating the most common behavioral health issues facing young people. New and expanded chapters cover topics including eating disorders, bullying and victimization, LGBTQ identity issues, and conducting research with high-risk children and adolescents. Edited and written by a team of accomplished child psychiatric and primary care practitioners, this authoritative volume: Provides state-of-the-art knowledge about specific psychiatric and behavioral health issues in multiple care settings Reviews the clinical manifestation and etiology of behavioral disorders, risk and management issues, and implications for practice, research, and education Offers approaches for interviewing children and adolescents, and strategies for integrating physical and psychiatric screening Discusses special topics such as legal and ethical issues, cultural influences, the needs of immigrant children, and child and adolescent mental health policy Features a new companion website containing clinical case studies to apply concepts from the chapters Designed to specifically address the issues faced by APRNs, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health is essential reading for nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, particularly those working in family, pediatric, community health, psychiatric, and mental health settings. *Second Place in the Child Health Category, 2021 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards*

Named a 2013 Doody's Core Title! "I would recommend this great little book for nurses who wish to carry a book with them in their clinical practice. Itís a great addition to the growing list of books addressing pain in pediatrics."--Pediatric Pain Letter "[This book] is a practical guide to pediatric pain assessment and management for the advanced practice nurse and primary caregivers who are interested in caring for patients with pain, but whose care specialty is not pain management. For the nurses whose specialty is pain management, this text provides a quick pediatric reference of our knowledge and tools of our trade. Even though it is a 'compact guide,' this text is well referenced with current key position statements, clinical practice guidelines, and primary references of the latest pediatric pain management research."--Pain Management Nursing Presented in a concise, systematic format, this clinically oriented book provides nurses and physicians quick access to up-to-date information on how to assess and manage pain in infants and children, including adolescents who suffer from acute and chronic pain conditions. This book provides a comprehensive review of medications for infants and children as well as nonpharmacological interventions to achieve optimal pain management for young patients undergoing needle-related procedures as well as painful conditions related to surgery, trauma, cancer, sickle cell disease, and chronic pain. Key Features: Describes the consequences of untreated pain on development of children Summarizes pain assessment tools recommended for verbal and preverbal patients as well as those who are critically or terminally ill Provides general principles and specific dosing recommendations for non-opioids, opioids, and coanalgesics for optimal safety and effective reduction in pain Describes the indications, medications, and ongoing care and monitoring related to the increasing use of epidural and continuous peripheral nerve block infusions for pediatric patients Provides information on how to use age-appropriate strategies for cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and physical approaches to reduce pain Includes useful resources, such as websites, and other tools, such as pain diaries and patient education information, to support multidisciplinary teams and parents who care for children with acute and chronic pain

Rapidly changing demographics in the United States over the past few years have resulted in a "majority of minority" youth. This has far-reaching implications for mental health clinicians, for whom knowledge of cultural context is critically important to understanding their patients and rendering effective, compassionate treatment. In addition to addressing cultural context, the book addresses the emerging crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the significance of the movement for social justice.

"Filled with detailed, evocative examples, the volume offers both a comprehensive theoretical framework and practical therapeutic guidelines. It takes the reader step by step through assessing clients and combining play, developmental guidance, trauma-focused interventions, and concrete assistance with problems of living. Clear-cut yet flexible strategies are presented for helping parents resolve their own painful past experiences, gain insight into their child's developmental stage and unique psychological makeup, respond more effectively to his or her emotional needs, and create a safer family environment."--BOOK JACKET.

The authors demonstrate how to use their well-established and documented DIR (Developmental, Individual-Differences, Relationship-Based) model to work with the full range of infant and early childhood challenges.

This completely revised and updated edition reflects tremendous advances in theory, research and practice that have taken place over the past decade. Grounded in a relational view of infancy, the volume offers a broad interdisciplinary analysis of the developmental, clinical and social aspects of mental health from birth to age three.