Relational Health in Pediatrics.

The American Academy of Pediatrics 2021 Policy Statement called for a paradigm shift that would prioritize clinical activities, rewrite research agendas, and realign collective advocacy by promoting relational health in partnership with communities and families. This seminal statement accelerated innovation toward high-performing medical homes, elevated family leadership and voices from family lived experiences, and advanced child health policies to move toward equity, child flourishing, and long-term well-being. More strengths-based, family-driven, and community connected practices among pediatric providers are essential to success.

Infant and early childhood mental health consultation in a diverse metropolitan area.

IECMHC can and should be a vehicle that promotes greater equity in access to high quality relationships within an early classroom environment. It is important to consider consultation through a racial equity lens to ensure that it is integrated in all levels of work. The goal of the study was to replicate the results from other IECMHC programs with a diverse, largely Latinx, population.

Advancing Antiracism in Community-Based Research Practices in Early Childhood and Family Mental Health.

Structural racism-the ways that institutional policies, practices, and other norms operate to create and sustain race-based inequities-has historically been foundational to the operations of academic medical centers and research institutions. Since its inception, academic medicine has depended on the exploitation of vulnerable communities to achieve medical, educational, and research goals. Research practices have long ignored or taken advantage of the individuals purportedly benefiting from the research, a dynamic most manifestly true for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities in the United States.

The role of consultative alliance in infant and early childhood mental health consultation: Child, teacher, and classroom outcomes.

Young children's social-emotional development is powerfully shaped by their early environments, which for many includes early childhood education (ECE). Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) pairs teachers and infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultants to promote teachers' capacity to foster positive social-emotional development in ECE. Although the outcomes of IECMHC have been well studied, little research has investigated how this model leads to changes for teachers and children.

Expulsion prevention: Framework for the role of infant and early childhood mental health consultation in addressing implicit biases.

Young children of color-especially boys-are at disproportionate risk for suspension and expulsion from early care and education settings. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is an approach associated with lower than expected expulsion rates, but the mechanisms through which it may influence preschool expulsion are unknown. This paper reflects on the parallels between IECMHC and interventions created to reduce implicit bias.

Relationships Between Gross Motor Skills and Social Function in Young Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gross motor skills and social function in young boys with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods: Twenty-one children with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition and the Miller Function and Participation Scales were used to assess gross motor skills.

Concurrent Validity of Two Standardized Measures of Gross Motor Function in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Aims: This study provides information on how two standardized measures based on different theoretical frameworks can be used in collecting information on motor development and performance in 4- and 5-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the study was to determine the concurrent validity of the Miller Function and Participation Scales (M-FUN) with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition (PDMS-2) in young children with ASD.

Methods: The gross motor sections of the PDMS-2 and the M-FUN were administered to 22 children with ASD between the ages of 48 and 71 months.

Tracking implementation strategies: a description of a practical approach and early findings.

Background: Published descriptions of implementation strategies often lack precision and consistency, limiting replicability and slowing accumulation of knowledge. Recent publication guidelines for implementation strategies call for improved description of the activities, dose, rationale and expected outcome(s) of strategies. However, capturing implementation strategies with this level of detail can be challenging, as responsibility for implementation is often diffuse and strategies may be flexibly applied as barriers and challenges emerge.

Systemwide Initiative Documents Robust Health Screening for Adults With Intellectual Disability.

It is well documented that adults with intellectual disability (ID) experience higher rates of a series of health conditions compared to their peers without disability. These health conditions include cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and psychiatric and behavioral disorders. With life expectancy approximating the general population, adults with ID are also now experiencing health conditions related to aging, further increasing their risk for diminished function and well-being.

Lessons learned: Engaging culturally diverse families in neurodevelopmental disorders intervention research.

Low-income and ethnic minority families continue to face critical disparities in access to diagnostic and treatment services for neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite the growing cultural diversity of the United States, ethnic minority children and families continue to be substantially underrepresented across research on neurodevelopmental disorders, and there is a particularly concerning lack of research on the treatment of these conditions in low-income and ethnic minority communities. Of note, there are currently no published studies on adapting autism spectrum disorder treatment for low-income Latino communities and relatively few studies documenting adapted treatments for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in these communities.

Parent Reports of Mental Health Concerns and Functional Impairment on Routine Screening With the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Objective: This study used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to describe the prevalence of parent-reported mental health (MH) concerns in youth presenting for primary care appointments and to examine relationships between children's MH issues and functional impairment. We hypothesized that increased MH symptomology would be associated with increased impairment and family burden.

Methods: Parents of 4- to 17-year-old children were approached at routine visits in 13 primary care sites.

A Technical Assistance Model for Guiding Service and Systems Change.

Technical assistance (TA) has been a ubiquitous part of the implementation of policies, programs, and services across public and private enterprise for decades. There have been few attempts to identify critical components of TA and evaluate its effectiveness. Qualitative analysis of interviews with experienced TA providers suggested a continuum of practice anchored at each end by approaches termed content-driven and relationship-based.

A comparison of three screening tools to identify perinatal depression among low-income African American women.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of three depression screening tools among a low-income African American population of pregnant and recently delivered women enrolled in home visitation programs in a low-income urban community.

Methods: Ninety-five women enrolled in home visitation programs-32 who were pregnant and 63 with a child <6 months comprise the study sample. Each woman completed a structured clinical interview and three depression screening tools-the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II).