Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health

Rachel Chazan-Cohen, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at George Mason University in Virginia. Previously, she was a senior research analyst and Coordinator of Infant and Toddler Research in the Office of Planning Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She trained in developmental and clinical psychology at Yale University, where she earned a doctoral degree, and at Tufts University, where she earned a mastera s degree. She is particularly interested in the biological, relational, and environmental factors influencing the development of at-risk children and, most especially, on the creation, evaluation, and refinement of intervention programs for families with infants and toddlers. Dr. Squires has served as principal investigator on research studies at the University of Oregon on the ASQ system. She is a professor in special education, focusing on early intervention and early childhood special education. She directs the Early Intervention Program and is associate director of the University of Oregon Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Squires has directed national outreach training activities related to developmental screening and the involvement of parents in the assessment and monitoring of their child's development. She currently directs research grants related to early childhood mental health and systems change related to early identification and treatment of newborn infants exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol. In addition to her interests in screening and early identification, Dr. Squires directs the doctoral and master's level early intervention/special education personnel preparation programs and teachers courses in early intervention/special education at the University of Oregon. Susan Janko Summers, Ph.D., is an educational ethnographer who has studied and written about child maltreatment, infant mental health, children with disabilities, and children and families at risk in the contexts of culture, community, and educational settings. She earned interdisciplinary mastera s and doctoral degrees with an emphasis on early childhood special education at the University of Oregon. She is keenly interested in the effects of mindfulness and meditation on emotional health and social relationships.