The emotional well-being of the under-fives age group is being overlooked by many child mental health specialists, although research evidence supports early intervention, according to a report by the charity Young Minds.
Its policy document, Mental Heath in Infancy, warns, 'Failure to identify the need for support may result in poor educational achievement, anti-social behaviours such as criminality and substance abuse, and adult mental health problems. All this is very costly for the individual and for society at large.'
A key barrier to progress is a 'general lack of awareness that many mental health problems may have their origins in early childhood, or even babyhood, and are linked to the emerging relationship and bonding between the child and the mother or primary carer.'
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