In sharp contrast to the Rosemond article comes this article from MSNBC entitled When Babies See Shrinks. The article discusses the growing trend of early mental health interventions.

It talks about the value of mental health wellness and the importance of understanding the impact the first few weeks, months and years have on children’s brain development. This is in stark contrast to those who believe that children are resilient and that less-than-ideal beginnings can be quickly overcome. And this argument is at the crux of adoptions for sure. Are children resilient or are they wounded for life by abuse, neglect or less-than-ideal early beginnings. The answer to both is “yes”.

Dr. Bruce Perry, the foremost authority on childhood trauma, says that children are malleable, meaning that they are not truly resilient, but that the impacts of trauma on their lives can be mitigated because of brain plasticity.

This article discusses that and says that most often parents seek psychological assistance when their child has sleep or eating issues, behavioral problems or developmental delays. It also mentions:

Other reasons infants and toddlers are evaluated include abuse, adoption or other separation from a birth parent, maternal depression, premature birth and trauma such as a natural disaster or illness.
The professionals interviewed for this article say that for the vast majority of infants and toddlers the “treatment” for mental health problems is parent-infant therapy, in which parents are taught specific parenting interventions. The use of medications in the pre-school set is exceedingly rare and done with caution. But one professional likened it to diabetes. If you discover a toddler has diabetes, then of course you’d treat it, even though you wouldn’t like it.

Here’s some warning signs that are worth a conversation with your pediatrician:

Specialists in early childhood mental wellness say parents tend to be at least nominally aware of their children’s problems well before they’re officially diagnosed. For this reason, parents should be frank with their pediatricians. Don't rush to judgment about your child, but the following behaviors and symptoms — particularly when persistent — are worth mentioning to the doctor:
— Refusing food and losing weight
— Sleep problems so severe that your child or you aren’t functioning well during the day
— General listlessness
— Inconsolability — the child is always crying or screaming
— Failure to walk, talk or relate to other children

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