Practice strategies for infant and toddler assessment

This course is designed for child and family practitioners and mental health professionals, including:

• social workers
• psychologists
• mental health nurses
• child and family workers
• speech therapists
• occupational therapists; and
• maternal child and family nurses.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• describe how reflective practice skills apply to infant, toddler and family inclusive practice
• develop responsive relationships with parents to understand the family’s psychosocial context and the developing parent-child relationship
• develop and apply skills in observing, noticing and describing infant and toddler interactions, needs and communication cues with parents
• engage in play activities with infants, toddlers and parents during your sessions to explore parenting strengths and challenges and to promote connection; and
• reflect upon and expand your assessment discoveries with parents to consider the context and meaning of these for both the parent and child.

It is estimated that this course will take you approximately three hours to complete, including reading material and watching videos.

You can undertake the course across multiple sessions at your own pace. The last screen you visit before logging off will be bookmarked and you will have the option of returning to that screen when you next log in.

As you work through the course, it is important to be aware of your own emotional responses. Please follow the self-care tips below and seek help if needed:

• We do not recommend undertaking the entire course in one sitting. Give yourself some breaks. Even if you don’t feel that you need a break, it’s a good idea to take one anyway and come back later.
• Be aware of your emotions as you progress through the course and take action if you are starting to feel stressed or upset. For example, consider taking a break and doing something for yourself that you enjoy.
• Be aware of your emotional responses after you complete the course.

If at any point you find you are struggling, please talk with your supervisor, seek help, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or SANE Australia on 1800 18 7263.

For the purposes of this course, the term parent encompasses the biological and adoptive parents of a child, as well as individuals who have chosen to take up a primary or shared responsibility in raising that child.

The term infant encompasses the antenatal period up to age three. While clinical research and services often use infant to describe children up to five years of age, this course will use the term toddler to clarify later developmental stages.

Social and emotional wellbeing refers to the way a person thinks and feels about themselves and others. It incorporates behavioural and emotional strengths and is a facet of child development.¹

In broad terms, social and emotional wellbeing is the foundation for physical and mental health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is a holistic concept which results from a network of relationships between individuals, family, kin and Community. It also recognises the importance of connection to Land, culture, spirituality and ancestry, and how these affect the individual.²

Social and emotional wellbeing is also used by some people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, who may have differing concepts of mental health and mental illness.³

Co-parenting is defined as two or more adults collaborating to raise a child. It recognises that children are parented by individuals but live in larger systems comprising several adults who care for them.⁴

Reflective functioning or mentalising refers to our capacity to understand ourselves and others in terms of intentional mental states, such as feelings, desires, wishes, goals and attitudes. Mentalising is a quintessential human capacity that is necessary to navigate the social world.⁵

Parallel process in relationship-based practice describes how certain relationships can impact other relationships.⁶

Rupture and repair is a concept drawn from Bowlby’s attachment theory. Rupture refers to disconnect or mis-attunement between parent and child. Repair refers to restoring an emotional connection that feels safe and soothing to the child, by being empathic, warm, loving, accepting, curious, and playful.⁷

The window of tolerance is described by Siegal (1999) as the optimal levels of both psychological and physiological arousal. The window represents the middle zone between hypoarousal and hyperarousal. In this zone we’re able to self-regulate and tolerate emotions, as well as be present and engaged with the world around us.⁸

In some sections of this course, you will be invited to share your learning with other users by scanning a QR code and submitting your reflections. Responses are collated and added to the course for future learners to consider, and will remain anonymous.

Alternatively, you can simply record your reflections in the ‘notes’ section on the relative screens and print them at the end of the course.

This course draws on the latest research, clinical insights, and the lived experience of our child and family partners. We’d like to thank the professionals and families who played an integral role in shaping this course, generously offering their time, wisdom and unique perspectives.

Watch the following video for a quick guide on how to navigate Emerging Minds Learning courses.