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Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Increasing attention is being placed in the medical and public space on the mental health of infants and young children. Among mental health providers, infant mental health generally refers to children 3 years of age and younger, while early childhood mental health refers to children ages 3-5. This contrasts…
Third Party Link
A Guide to Toxic Stress
This area of the website for the Center on the Developing Child provides a collection of resources for understanding toxic stress and resilience. A Guide to Toxic Stress…
Reading
The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood
This report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs explains how the earliest years lay the groundwork for lifelong health. When children have positive early experiences, they strengthen their developing biological systems and are more likely to thrive and become…
Working Paper
Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children
This working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs examines why addressing the consequences of serious depression in parents and caregivers could support the future prosperity and well-being of both children and society as a whole.
Reading
Strategies for Effectively Communicating about Toxic Stress
This guide from the Frameworks Institute provides suggestions on how to frame conversations with caregivers who may have experienced toxic stress themselves. It makes 5 key framing suggestions that can help providers to highlight resilience, reduce caregiver guilt and raise the public health nature of the problem of toxic stress.
Third Party Link
The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress
Read the article at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science into Lifelong Health
Read the article at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity
Read the article at JAMA Network.
Third Party Link
Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health
Read the article at Annual Reviews.
Working Paper
The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain
Working Paper
Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
Working Paper
Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation
Working Paper
Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function
Working Paper
Supportive Relationships and Active Skill-Building Strengthen the Foundations of Resilience
This working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child explains how supportive relationships with adults help children develop resilience, or the set of skills needed to respond to adversity and thrive.
Third Party Link
Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It
Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It…
Reading
Special Considerations for Children in Foster Care
Children in foster care commonly face adversity far exceeding that of typical childhood. All children experience tolerable, temporary stressors as a normal part of learning and growing, such as a first day in a new school or performing on stage in front of an audience. These experiences are healthy and…