ECED 305 - Introduction to Infant/Child Mental Health

Credits: 5
A comprehensive overview of community agencies and professionals who work with and support early learning programs and families. Students will learn and practice communication skills and strategies that enable them to connect with and encourage parents and other family members to be involved in their child’s growth and education. Special emphasis will be placed on intercultural communication.

Prerequisite: Admission into BAS in Early Childhood Education or instructor’s permission.

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Define and explain the concept of infant mental health and how it relates to healthy, lifelong development.
Describe the status of infant/ child mental health and mental health services in the United States, and associated major public health issues.
Identify key principles of infant mental health theory and practice.
Describe how caregiver-child interactions affect infant/child development.
Identify biological and environmental risk factors to healthy emotional development.
Understand the impact of brain development and early relationships on overall development.
Discuss the research areas of attachment, temperament, and social emotional development.
Investigate categories of service an infant mental health specialist provides.

Program Outcomes

Apply relationship-based principles and strategies that support young children and families.
Assess and analyze children’s development, skills, and behavior based on culturally and developmentally appropriate practices.
Design and create inclusive environments that promote social/emotional learning and are responsive to the needs of all children and families including those considered vulnerable.
Select and apply appropriate intervention strategies for classroom management while promoting a positive emotional climate that is reflective of and responsive to the culture being served.
Screen, assess, and identify children with mental health challenges.
Demonstrate leadership abilities and collaborative skills necessary to resolve interpersonal and organizational challenges that may occur in an early childhood setting.
Establish and maintain connections with appropriate support services and community resources.
Demonstrate the ability to engage in reflective observation, consultation, and practice, and possess the ability to integrate it into the early learning setting.
Advocate for families and young children through service, education, and leadership.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
Written Communication - Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form.