PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF THE VERY YOUNG CHILD IN THE CLINIC

Abstract

There is a clear shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists in general and even a greater shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists who are comfortable assessing and treating children younger than 5 years old. Current evidence shows that the rates of common child mental health disorders in preschool-aged children are similar to those seen in later childhood. Although AACAP has described Practice Parameters for the Psychiatric Assessment of Infants and Toddlers, and standardized structured interviews and assessment tools exist, a lack of training as well as time constraints in the office prevent many practitioners from feeling competent in their ability to assess very young children. This Workshop attempts to address the workforce issues by providing practitioners with tools and an opportunity to practice mental health assessment of very young children.