Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) and Early Childhood Intervention: Intentional Integration

Abstract

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is a multidisciplinary field of inquiry, practice, and policy concerned with enhancing the social-emotional competence of infants and young children. Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is a system of services that supports infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. ECI providers promote a child’s development in all domains, including social-emotional. The purpose of this paper is to describe how two systems, Early Childhood Intervention and Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, collaborate when serving children who have developmental delays or disabilities and their families and other caregivers. We will discuss two models used to promote social-emotional development, the Pyramid Model and IECMH Consultation, and provide three examples that demonstrate how ECI and IECMH intersect at both the family, classroom, and system levels.