Early intervention in childhood disorders

Childhood is a fascinating, mystical stage in which many children lead carefree lives without having to worry about the complex gene-environment interplay to which they are constantly subjected. This interplay is the focus of study for a minority of adults, like us, who attempt to discover what makes children ‘tick’ and what does not, and how one can best assist those that do not. This is particularly important because in children the difference between syndromes and mental disorders (MHD) can often be blurred. The available navigational maps of the ICD [1] and DSM [2] help only so much in being able to neatly account for all childhood MHD and it is not uncommon in clinical practice to come across children who have a bit of this and a bit of that. As a result, the clinician at the coalface working with children and families with MHD draw on their own professional experience, personal story, and influences around them to make sense of the clinical situation that confronts them and responds accordingly. One disadvantage of this approach is a lack of consistency in the application of evidence-based interventions across different settings. This chapter attempts to negotiate that inconsistency by pointing clinicians towards empirically tested strategies.