ABSTRACT
The subspecialty of child psychiatry that focuses on the mental health needs of infants and preschool-aged children is itself a young field. Only within the last two to three decades has it been appreciated that very young children may have unique and sometimes severe mental health and developmental problems that require special developmentally tailored interventions. The mental health needs of preschool-aged children raise several issues that warrant considerations above and beyond those concerns about mental health needs for children and adolescents in general. This chapter will highlight these special considerations, point to different service delivery models, and outline a broad research agenda for the mental health needs of infants and preschool children. First we turn to those nosological issues that make considerations of mental health services for very young children a special area.
