Mental Health Practitioner’s Perspective of Early Intervention Treatment Barriers for Young Children and their Families

Young children are showing an increase in behavioral and emotional disturbances. Children are showing precocious knowledge of information about drugs, sex and violence. This research project reviews previous findings for causes and intervention for these behaviors. Early intervention, family barriers and access barriers concerning mental health treatment were themes that were continuously discussed in the existing research. This study focused on those themes and surveyed 29 professionals about the family and access barriers that families and children face in regards to preschool mental health treatment. The participants were surveyed anonymously and the findings were analyzed for common themes. The results indicated that insurance, transportation, lack of family support and parent involvement are the main barriers that professionals encounter when working with families and children. Early intervention and parent involvement are the keys to a child’s future success according to current research. Implications for policy, practice and research can be drawn due to the lack of research focusing on specific interventions for the preschool population and the increase in mental health diagnosis in preschool aged children