| Infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children in foster care have experienced maltreatment and are more at risk for cognitive, language, physical and social-emotional delays than their counterparts in the general population. The purpose of this dissertation project was to study the mental health needs of children aged birth through five who reside in foster care placement and to consider important clinical issues that are relevant to their treatment. The project entailed gathering relevant information through a review of available literature and from conducting interviews with five field consultants. The information gathered through the literature review and field interviews was then used to develop a professional training presentation. The purpose of the presentation was to help increase the knowledge of clinicians employed at a community-based mental health agency within Los Angeles County, CA who work with foster children less than six years of age and their primary caregivers. The presentation provided clinicians with current information regarding normative social-emotional development in infancy and early childhood, the influence of maltreatment and foster care placement on social-emotional developmental trajectories, and common treatment services available to address psychopathology often evident in infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged foster children. The dissertation project also includes evaluation data of the presentation, strengths and limitations of the project, and recommendations for future research. |
