Contemporary pediactric practice: In support of infant mental health (imaging and imagining)

Abstract

Suddenly, it seems, developmental biologists, the media, and policymakers are awakening to a confluence of evidence that links the early brain development of human infants with their social experience in primary relationships. New biotechnology offers dynamic insights into the interdependence between social-emotional development and the expression of an individual's biobehavioral genetic code. Social policy, professional practices, and personal behavior all influence children's potential for physical and mental health. Pediatric primary care providers have a central responsibility to apply developmental neuroscience in the cause of raising resources for and within families to inspire children's emotional health and development. Clinical issues raised at predictable developmental touch points, from pregnancy through the first year of life, are discussed with respect to their physiological mechanisms, psychological meaning, and professional opportunities. ©2001 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.