Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in the Context of a Statewide Expulsion Prevention Initiative

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on outcomes for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) provided to early education teachers as part of a tiered statewide expulsion prevention initiative. In a sample of 360 children (83.3% male, 66.6% White, 88.1% with clinically elevated externalizing behavior at baseline) at risk for expulsion, outcomes from consultation are described, including expulsion outcomes and changes in child behavior. Multiple regression was used to explore the role of teacher engagement in the IECMHC process on child-level behavioral outcomes. Of the referred children receiving IECMHC, 3.9% were expelled. From pre- to posttest, teachers reported significant reductions in behavior concerns (both frequency and the perception of the behaviors as “problematic”) and expulsion risk (based on teacher perception of child behavior). Teacher engagement in the IECMHC process was a robust predictor of change in child outcomes, with greater engagement associated with improvements in child behavior problems and prosocial skills.

Acknowledgments

BehaviorHelp is funded by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education through a contract to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education [state contract].

Notes on contributors

Nicola A. Conners Edge

Nicola A. Conners Edge PhD is a Professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. She conducts research on factors that place children at risk for poor social and emotional outcomes, and designs, implements and evaluates interventions for these high risk children and families. She directs Arkansas’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program, called Project PLAY.

Angela Kyzer

Angela Kyzer BA is a Program Manager in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is coordinates evaluation activities for multiple state-wide programs designed to build capacity to support the social and emotional development of young children. She has coauthored publications related to home visitation programs, maternal depression, substance abuse, children’s exposure to violence, and food insecurity/quality.

Annie E. Davis

Annie E. Davis Ph.D. is an assistant professor on the research track at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. She is a licensed clinical psychologist whose career is focused on providing, evaluating, and improving early childhood mental health services, particularly for historically marginalized communities.

Kimberly Whitman

Kimberly Whitman LCSW, is the Director of Early Childhood Mental Health programs in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UAMS. She oversees and/or collaborates on multiple programs that serve young children, their families and their early care and education partners with a focus area on mental health and trauma-informed care.