Infant
mental health conference
The University of Auckland February 2010
Advancing the knowledge and treatment of infants, toddlers and preschool children
at elevated risk of developmental delay and social and emotional problems.
Research over the past 30 years has transformed our knowledge about how infants
and young children develop and the effects of early experiences on developmental
outcomes and infant mental health. Research has also shown that despite early adverse
events or experiences, well-designed early interventions can minimise the impact
of these experiences.
Dr Trecia Wouldes from The The Werry Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental
Health at The University of Auckland's Department of Psychological
Medicine, and
Professor Barry Lester
from The Brown Center for the Study of
Children at Risk, Brown University, Rhode Island convened this conference, held
at
The University of Auckland Business School. With its excellent auditoria and
attractive networking and exhibition spaces, the school provided a spectacular setting
for the three-day event.
The conference featured 25 international and local experts who
were invited to present cutting edge research, and discuss implementation of
research in current practice. Speakers came from the US, Israel, Australia, and
the UK as well as New Zealand. Topics featured effective treatment of early
relationship disorders, preterm birth, early conduct problems and autistic spectrum
disorder.
View the
programme for more details
Minister Tariana Turia was to open the conference, but due to unforeseen circumstances
could not be present on the day, and her speech was read to, and warmly received by, the delegates and speakers.
Read Tariana Turia's speech
The keynote address was delivered by Edward Z. Tronick, PhD and was titled: “Infants
and Young Children as Makers of Meaning About Themselves in Relation to People,
Things and Themselves”
Plenary presentations were made by Barry Lester PhD on “Fetal Origins of Infant
Mental Health Disorders” and Linda Lagasse PhD on “Infant Development, Environment
and Lifestyle (IDEAL) Study: Impact of Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure on Child
Development”
The programme was followed by three concurrent workshops:
Maori Models for Infant Mental Health, Pacific Islands Families Study Symposium,
Mental Health Policy and Services for Infants, Toddlers and Preschool Children.
A poster exhibition was held on the evening of the first day of the conference and
the posters were available over the next two days. The exhibition was supported
by a grant from the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust.
Delegates came from a range of professions; General Practice, Child Psychiatry,
Paediatrics, Developmental Psychology, Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational Therapy,
Neonatology, Special Education and Early
Childhood Education and the organisers
are grateful for the grants from the Maori Health Directorate in the Ministry of
Health, and from the Ministry of Social Development which funded registration for a
significant number
of professionals working with vulnerable communities who may
otherwise not have been able to participate. In addition, UniServices sponsored
the Powhiri and the reception which followed, and the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel
Trust supported the poster exhibition.
Over 400 professionals attended over the three days. Evaluations from the event
have shown huge enthusiasm for the topics, relevance to clinical practice, and appreciation
of the opportunity to have the latest research showcased here in New Zealand.
Some comments in response to “How will the content of the conference be of use to
you in your work?":
“I work on an Early Intervention Team and found the maternal mental health research/information
of particular interest and will be helpful to support my practice with families and young children. It certainly highlighted the need to provide support as
early as possible. The early identification of autism research was of great interest
to the team I work with as we often meet young children early on the assessment/diagnosis
path.”
“I will be evaluating several of the papers presented and some of them (longitudinal
studies of preterm babies and the difficulties they have later in childhood) may
be used to decide service delivery.
At this time, as community Developmental Therapists,
we only see babies who have detectable brain abnormalities. With this current literature,
service delivery may be expanded. I will also be looking at current assessments used in our service to determine if we are evaluating mother child relationships
and how they impact development.”
“For me, I found it brilliant. I learnt so much. It gave me chance to hear about
other interventions and to look at what would be relevant interventions. It was
brilliant to hear from the experts and very motivating.”
Some comments in response to “What were the highlights of the conference for you?:
“All of it. Just being able to attend. I feel privileged to have had this
opportunity which is so in line with what I currently want to do in terms of my
clinical practice and professional development.”
“The various input from professionals around the world who were able to translate
their research into plain language so it could be understood and used immediately.”
“International Developments in interventions for relational problems and the evidence
to substantiate early intervention”
