Diagnosis in Young Children: The Use of the DC:0-5™ Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders in Infancy and Early Childhood

Abstract

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health has become a growing specialization in the fields of health and mental health. Infant and early childhood mental health can be defined as the ability to develop physically, cognitively, and socially in a manner which allows them to master the primary emotional tasks of early childhood without serious disruption caused by harmful life events. This chapter provides the clinician with historical and theoretical underpinnings of diagnostic classification in infancy and early childhood and reviews the approach, framework, and key content of DC:0-5TM. This information is hoped to support the understanding and use of DC:0-5TM in clinical practice. The chapter reviews the history of psychiatric diagnosis in children birth through five years. It discusses the utility and shortcomings of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders fifth edition approach and the use of the DC0-3R and DC0-5. It offers an overview to the DC:0-5 with recommendations about how to become proficient in its use and how to bill for services with these diagnoses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)