Early Childhood Mental Health Treatment: Training Reference Guide

Strategies
Child Psychopathology
Be aware that an assessment of a child and his environment is a snapshot in time and
may change due to the rapid and uneven developmental phases or pathways that characteristic
of this period. Diagnosis must be made with caution and the process may
either need to be extended or postponed until the child has reached certain developmental
milestones.
Be aware that differential diagnosis may also be very challenging in the preschool
years and often requires in-depth assessment, e.g., is a child’s problems with behaviour
and concentration due to a memory or learning difficulty or an interactional, attachment,
or parenting problem
Early assessment and diagnosis, however, is crucial so that the child can obtain needed
services as quickly as possible.
Clear and useful recommendations of ways to work directly with the child and with
other issues must be made for parents and other caregivers to enhance the child’s
development and eliminate symptoms that are impeding development.
Formulation needs to take into consideration: the developmental level of the child; the
interaction between the child, parent(s), and other caregivers; the family system; the
parenting knowledge and capacity, attributions of the child, and any psychopathology
in the parents that may be affecting the child (See Screening and Assessment section)
Offer approaches to the child and family that are acceptable to the family, available in
the agency, and are most appropriate for the issues identified.
Strategies selected may include: (1) approaches to work directly with the child (2) approaches
to enhance the parent-child relationship (3) family therapy (4) approaches to
change negative attributions of the child (5) provision of parenting or developmental
information, and (5) individual therapy for the parent (See sections on Planning Interventions
and Systems and Ecosystems)
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