A young child’s emotional well-being and mental health are significantly tied to the functioning of their caregivers and their living environments. This makes early childhood mental health a key consideration in prevention and child welfare practice. Just as having healthy attachments to a consistent nurturing caregiver(s) is critical to overall child development, it is also critical to promoting social-emotional development in young children and supporting early childhood mental health.
Children can display characteristics of significant mental health challenges at a very young age. Children under age five (5) may display signs of anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity, depression, post-traumatic stress, or neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders. Experiencing traumatic events, lack of stability in caregivers, or exposure to toxic stress can increase the likelihood of a young child developing mental health concerns or further exacerbating symptoms of mental health disorders. It is often more difficult to diagnose mental health disorders in young children because they are still in a period of rapid brain development and learning how to get along with others, follow the rules, and practice socially acceptable behaviors. Often, the terms “social-emotional development” and “early childhood mental health” are used interchangeably. Social development includes the ability to have meaningful relationships with both adults and other children. Emotional development is a child’s ability to express, recognize, and manage their own emotions (often referred to as self-regulation), as well as respond appropriately to others’ emotions. These two areas of development relate closely to one another and often are referred to collectively as “social-emotional development.” Both social and emotional development are foundational to early childhood mental health. Early identification of potential mental health concerns and provision of services can drastically improve outcomes for young children.