Developmental delays or disabilities are frequent in populations of young children reported for
maltreatment (e.g. Casanueva et al, 2018; Casanueva et al. 2012 ). In addition, children with disabilities
are at increased risk for experiences such as medical procedures that may be highly stressful for the
children and/or their parents (e.g., Cogswell et al, 2022). This webinar will provide evidence regarding
co-occurrence of trauma and developmental delays or disabilities in young children and considerations
for addressing these children’s needs. These children and their families often need both support around
developmental issues and trauma-focused treatment. The presentation will address the need for and
opportunities provided by cross-systems collaboration, especially between providers of early
intervention/preschool intervention services and professionals addressing trauma-related needs—but
also will identify some of the challenges and barriers to doing so. Finally, the importance of
collaborating with the children’s parents/caregivers and providing support to the caregivers and to the
parent-child attachment system will be discussed.

Participants in this webinar will be able to:

1. describe the frequency of developmental delays for young children in the United States with
indicated or substantiated maltreatment reports.

2. state the policy under the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA 2004) and the Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, US Department of Health & Human Services,
2010) regarding referral of young children in the child welfare system for early intervention
services.

3. describe challenges and opportunities regarding collaboration between early childhood
development providers and professionals/systems dealing with childhood trauma.

Date & Time

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

12:30 pm –2:00 pm EST