Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills

, ]. Approximately 1 in 6 children aged 2 to 8 years are reported to have an emotional, behavioral, or developmental condition but only about half of them receive adequate mental health support [ ]. Additionally, young children aged younger than 7 years with challenging behavior are at increased risk for maltreatment compared with older children [ ]. Children with developmental disabilities are 1.5 to 3.5 times more likely to be maltreated than their typically developing peers [ ]; often times, this is due to developmental behaviors that parents find overwhelming. Unaddressed behavioral health disorders early in childhood increase the risk for long-term poor outcomes including school failure, substance abuse, delinquency, chronic health problems, and suicide [

]. The negative outcomes associated with untreated challenging behaviors of early childhood reflect an important need for early prevention and intervention services.

Supporting caregivers is key to prevention and early intervention for child behavioral health concerns. Caregiver support for childhood mental health conditions also promotes maternal mental health and reduces the risk for maternal depression. There are many evidence-based programs with demonstrated success at improving child behavior problems, parenting stress, and parenting skills, but access to these behavioral health services is limited for many families [

]. Thus, embedding behavioral health resources into primary care settings is crucial to prevention, early detection, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among children and adolescents. Optimal integrated health care involves screening children for developmental and behavioral concerns, coordinating appropriate care for children, and providing in-the-moment behavioral management training for caregivers.