In this issue, we present studies on the steps being taken to ensure those working with infants, toddlers, and their families are well-trained to promote social and emotional development; how poor health in adolescence has the potential to disrupt education and employment pathways; and the trends and usage patterns of antipsychotic drugs in young people across the United States—and more.
How Children's Social Competence Affects Their Well-Being in Adulthood (July 2015)
A 20-year retrospective study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the July 2015 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, suggests that kindergarten students who are more inclined to exhibit “social competence” traits such as sharing, cooperating, or helping other kids may be more likely to attain higher education and well-paying jobs. In contrast, students who exhibit weaker social competency skills may be more likely to drop out of high school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and need government assistance.
The Infant Mental Health Workforce: Key to Promoting the Healthy Social and Emotional Development of Children (March 2015)
This publication defines infant mental health and highlights the workforce competencies needed across disciplines to support families so they can ensure their children get off to a healthy start. It describes critical components of a competent infant and toddler mental health workforce, provides national examples of successful workforce development approaches, and concludes with recommendations for strengthening the capacity of Connecticut’s infant and early childhood mental health workforce.
An Integrated Stage-Based Framework for Implementation of Early Childhood Programs and Systems (May 2015)
Interest in studying the implementation of early childhood programs and systems is growing. Yet, in the search for a framework by which to examine implementation, many different models compete for our attention. Furthermore, previous descriptions of implementation frameworks have yielded common factors related to successful implementation, but they have not identified the common elements across each stage of implementation. In this brief, the researchers provide an integrated stage-based framework that builds on previous combinations in implementation science literature.
Key Findings: Autism Symptoms among Children Enrolled in the Study to Explore Early Development (June 2015)
The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders has published a new analysis looking at autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms among young children enrolled in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). SEED is the largest research study in the United States to help identify factors that may put children at risk for ASD. The purpose of this analysis was to compare children enrolled in SEED who were classified with ASD to those who were classified with developmental delays and ASD symptoms, those with developmental delays without ASD symptoms, and those from the general population.
Despite concerns over the rising use of antipsychotic drugs to treat young people, little was known about trends and usage patterns in the United States before this latest research, which was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of NIH.
Adolescent Health and Adult Education and Employment: A Systematic Review (June 2015)
Poor health in adolescence has the potential to disrupt education and employment pathways. This study is the first systematic review of the literature to examine the connection between poor mental and physical health in adolescence, and education and employment outcomes in adulthood.
