IECD Program: A Student and Faculty Perspective 

Infant and Early Childhood Development Program Provides Understanding, Evidence-Based Curriculum and Practice 

This feature originally appeared in the January 2024 edition of FOCUS Magazine. Read the article and entire issue here.

The Infant and Early Childhood Development (IECD) program fills a unique and unmet need in education, clinical work, and advocacy in Infant Mental Health (IMH) and in developmental assessment and intervention of infants and children and their families. The design of the IECD program blends an otherwise unavailable DIR® (Developmental, Individual Differences, and Relationship-based) approach with more widely offered Infant Mental Health education and Reflective Practice training, giving students a more broad-based understanding of the field along with the most up-to-date, evidence-based discoveries and trends in the field.

Faculty Perspective

Lorraine Ehlers-Flint, PhD

Dr. Lorraine Ehlers-Flint

Lorraine Ehlers-Flint, PhD: Licensed Clinical Psychologist, seasoned DIR® trainer and practitioner, international (Argentina) faculty, original faculty alongside program developers Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder.

For Dr. Ehlers-Flint, it is necessary to uphold the tenets of IMH and DIR® through a commitment to relationships that value varied viewpoints, active listening, and intentional participation. The interdisciplinary nature of IECD fosters collaboration among faculty and students, facilitating the discovery of shared meaning and creating a learning process fueled by curiosity and openness. In addition, IECD prioritizes JEDI principles and embraces diversity by recognizing individual differences with respect and sensitivity. Dr. Ehlers-Flint, a native of Argentina, finds it meaningful to assist ESL students in navigating higher learning in their non-native language. Moreover, she offers support and guidance to students dealing with life stressors that could impact their ability to meet the demands of doctoral level competencies.

Christy Gliniak, Ph.D., OTR/L, CNT, CPXP

Christy Gliniak, PhD

Christy Gliniak, PhD: Licensed Neonatal Occupational Therapist, 2022 graduate of the program, international (Canada) Faculty.

For Dr. Gliniak, the uniquely constructed curriculum specializing in infant and early childhood development, collaborative care frameworks, and a global perspective was a perfect fit to advance her clinical practice deeply rooted in neonatal care. Fielding’s innovative approach to distributed learning allowed her to pursue her terminal degree despite facing barriers like military duty stations, dependents, rural or international residence, and foreign citizenship. Since graduation, Christy has achieved success in independent and collaborative research, authorship in journal and book publications, invitations to national advocacy groups, and career shifts into leadership, research, and academe — all opportunities she attributes to the IECD credentials.

Adrienne L. Edwards-Bianchi

Adrienne L. Edwards-Bianchi, PhD

Adrienne L. Edwards-Bianchi, PhD: Certified Family Life Educator, Board member of the S.C. IMH Association. Areas of scholarly expertise include qualitative methods, IMH, racial socialization, and parenting.

For Dr. Edwards-Bianchi, the IECD program truly embodies and implements the scholar-practitioner model of Fielding by helping students bridge theory with research and draw linkages between course content and applied experiences. Working in the IECD program allows her to teach and mentor a diverse group of students from around the world. She has opportunities to co-create knowledge with students and guide them in a process of self-discovery while helping them learn how to conduct culturally responsive, doctoral-level research. As a new member of core faculty, Adrienne is excited about collaborating with colleagues to generate translational research for enhancing the well-being of children with developmental disorders and their families.

Jenene W. Craig. PhD

Dr. Jenene Craig

Jenene W. Craig. PhD: Program Director for IECD. Seasoned academic leader, licensed neonatal occupational therapist, one of the first two graduates of the program.

For Dr. Craig, serving as program director is a full-circle moment.  As one of the early students in the program, prior to IECD finding its home at Fielding, she learned and gained insight from both Dr. Greenspan and Dr. Weider and their visions for the program. Although very content in her previous academic leadership role, she feels a debt of gratitude to being invited back to Fielding to lead the program. To her, the students and faculty speak for themselves for the excellent and transformative change that takes place as part of this program.

Summary

Recent trends in child development assessment and interventions have positioned IECD as an academic leader, with a focus on diversity, social justice, faculty-student collaboration, and practice approaches within an Infant and Early Childhood and Mental Health (IECMH) framework. This program’s innovative approach sets a precedent in higher education by emphasizing the importance of embracing complexity, fostering synergy, and adopting an interprofessional perspective in scholarship, research and leadership.