Disclaimer :: My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County sponsored and crafted this post about social-emotional connections in children and other developmental milestones.
My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County has brought HealthySteps to Fort Worth and surrounding areas. HealthySteps is an evidence-based universal approach to supporting families in our community.
“We know that early intervention is best,” says Laura Kender, chief of Early Childhood Services, a division of MHMR. “HealthySteps opens the conversation and allows for referrals and connections to resources in our community. We strive to make the family stronger as a unit, which helps our babies grow to be healthy and happy individuals.”
About HealthySteps
HealthySteps is a pediatric primary care program committed to healthy development for babies and toddlers and to nurturing parenting. For families with children from birth to age five, HealthySteps specialists offer developmental, behavioral, social, and emotional screenings during their pediatric appointments, while also offering parents and caregivers the guidance and support needed to raise healthy families.
An onsite HealthySteps specialist is currently available at Cook Children’s Northside Clinic, University of North Texas Health Science Center Pediatric & Mobile Clinic, and JPS Pediatric Clinic to discuss concerns, as well as to provide prevention and intervention for important, non-medical issues, such as the below.
Child issues/at risk
- Abuse/neglect/maltreatment/toxic stress
- Developmental delays (e.g. language, motor, or cognitive)
- Social-emotional/disruptive behaviors
- Social determinants of health
- Malnutrition
Family issues/at risk
- Maternal depression/anxiety
- Strained relationships/domestic violence
- Low-income (e.g. food, housing, or transportation to appointments)
- Substance use/addiction/tobacco use
Services/assistance by HealthySteps specialist
- Screenings (e.g. ASQ, ASQ:SE-2, ACEs, SEEK, or EPDS)
- Positive parenting guidance/education (Parent Cafés, Nurturing Parenting Program, how a parent’s life experiences impact her child’s development and her own parenting style)
- Early learning resources (e.g. individual and group services)
- Community referrals (e.g. social services, hospital specialty clinics, or counseling)
- Collaboration with pediatric staff (e.g. data sharing, quality improvement)
- Trauma-Informed Care (e.g. Trust-Based Relational Intervention®)
Using the results of these screenings, HealthySteps specialists provide parents with the necessary services and connect families with the appropriate community resources to provide a healthy environment for the family as a unit. When these hardships are detected early, the risk for familial turbulence decreases. Striving to make the family stronger as a unit helps babies grow to be healthy and happy individuals.
Don’t attend one of those clinics? You can do the screenings for FREE online and contact MHMR if you have any questions about the survey or the results. Visit http://earlyisbestnorthtexas.org/screening/ for a FREE ages and stages developmental questionnaire and contact MHMR at 817-446-8000 or toll free at 1-888-754-0524 for more information.
HealthySteps Connections
- Are you feeling sad or depressed?
- Do you feel irritable or angry with those around you?
- Are you having difficulty bonding with your baby?
- Do you feel anxious or panicky?
- Are you having problems with eating or sleeping?
- Are you having upsetting thoughts that you can’t get out of your mind?
- Do you feel as if you are “out of control” or “going crazy?”
- Do you feel like you never should have become a mother?
- Are you worried that you might hurt your baby or yourself?
Any of these symptoms could indicate a form of perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, such as postpartum depression. While many women experience some mild mood changes during or after the birth of a child, a large number of women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety. Please know that with informed care you can prevent a worsening of these symptoms and fully recover. Please reach out to your trusted healthcare professional for help or contact the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year iCare line for assistance at 817-335-3022 or 1-800-866-2465 (toll-free). Take the free Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen by clicking here.
Parenting is hard. And MHMR is there to help. Another way to find support is through Parent Cafés, a free program for the community. Parent Cafés mobilize and educate parents to strengthen their own families by building five protective factors. These factors build resilience which result in stronger communities. Parent Cafés include free childcare and free food! Visit http://earlyisbestnorthtexas.org/group-calendar/ for more information or a café near you.
What questions do you have about postnatal depression or your baby’s development?
Early Childhood Services provides resources and in-home support to families of children age zero to six in Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, and Ellis counties. (Services are available to families of children age zero to three in Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise, and Cooke counties.) Early Childhood Services also offers free child screenings. Early Childhood Services is a division of My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, which has served families in Tarrant County for nearly 50 years. If you want more information, call 844-NTX-KIDS or visit www.EarlyIsBestNorthTexas.org.
You can read more from MHMR Tarrant County on the Fort Worth Moms Blog archives.
