IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

INFANT PSYCHIATRY

Chapter

B.2

FAILURE TO THRIVE OR WEIGHTFALTERING IN A PRIMARY HEALTH
CARE SETTING
Astrid Berg

Astrid Berg MB ChB,
FCPsych (SA), M Phil (Child& Adolescent Psychiatry)
Red Cross War Memorial
Children’s Hospital andUniversity of Cape Town, CapeTown, South Africa
Conflict of interest: none
declared.

A Javanese family at Tasik
Malaya, Java (Photo: CH
Graves, c1902)
This publication is intended for professionals training or practicing in mental health and not for the general public. The opinions
expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or IACAPAP. This publication seeks todescribe the best treatments and practices based on the scientific evidence available at the time of writing as evaluated by the authorsand may change as a result of new research. Readers need to apply this knowledge to patients in accordance with the guidelines andlaws of their country of practice. Some medications may not be available in some countries and readers should consult the specific drug
information since not all dosages and unwanted effects are mentioned. Organizations, publications and websites are cited or linked toillustrate issues or as a source of further information. This does not mean that authors, the Editor or IACAPAP endorse their content or
recommendations, which should be critically assessed by the reader. Websites may also change or cease to exist.
©IACAPAP 2012. This is an open-access publication under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License. Use,
distribution and reproduction in any medium are allowed without prior permission provided the original work is properly cited andthe use is non-commercial. Send comments about this book or chapter to jmreyATbigpond.net.au
Suggested citation: Berg A. Failure to thrive or weight faltering in a primary health care setting. In Rey JM (ed), IACAPAP e-Textbook
of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions,
2012.

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental HealthAmother’s first concern is about whether she can maintain the life andgrowth of her baby (Stern, 1995). Feeding the infant and seeing it develop
is a primary task which all parents wish to fulfil. Most mothers want
only the best for their offspring. In turn, the child possesses an inborn drive to
move forward, to grow and to progress − children are meant to thrive. Sadly, thisfundamental right is missing for many infants all over the world. When things gowrong, when the growth of the baby is impeded for whatever reason, it becomesa serious and profound problem for the parents. It is worth reflecting on themeaning of naming this condition “failure to thrive”: does it not imply failure on
the part of the caregiver? Could this not do an injustice to the parent? In future
we may consider “faltering weight” as a better, less pejorative term to describe thiscondition.
Feeding varies considerably among children during infancy and feedingproblems are very common, affecting up to 30% of infants depending on how
feeding problems are defined. However disorders of feeding are still poorly
understood. The causes of infant feeding problems are multifactorial, not wellknown and overlapping the fields of paediatrics and mental health, althoughphysical causes need to always be excluded.
Research has shown that in developing countries children under the ageof 5 years are prevented from reaching their full potential because of exposure
to multiple risk factors. Poverty plays a central role in mental health in general
for adults (Lund C et al, 2010), but particularly it does so for young children.
Malnutrition in the early years has serious consequences for brain development(Grantham-McGregor et al, 2007) which could adversely affect children’s later
ability to learn and progress in school. The long term adverse effect of failure to
thrive on cognitive ability should not be underestimated; it has been estimated to
be around 4 IQ points. (Corbett & Drewett, 2004)

Feeding
The term “feeding” implies
a two-way relationship, adelicate interplay between
mother and child in thefeeding situation.

It is important for infant and child health workers to know that malnutrition
is not simply a matter of inadequate food intake or physical illness, but that it
can be a manifestation of things having gone wrong in the relationship between
mother and child. The term feeding does imply that a two-way relationship is partof eating in early childhood (Chatoor, 2002) − a delicate interplay exists between
mother and child in the feeding situation. While the World Health Organization
recognizes the importance of stimulation for young children, there is insufficientemphasis on the centrality of the caregiver-child relationship in the actual feeding
situation.
This chapter focus specifically on how priority can be given to the relationshipbetween caregiver and child within the context of a primary health care setting
in a developing country such as South Africa. The categories which describe thevarious reasons for faltering weight are described. The focus throughout shall beon the very young child, under 12 months, bearing in mind that the effects ofearly problems in this domain extend far beyond the first year of life. The word
“mother” is used to denote the adult who is the main caregiver and who fulfils
the traditional “mothering” functions. It does not exclude other caregivers such as
father, grandparents, day carers and foster parents.

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATION
Failure to thrive can be regarded as a descriptive umbrella term which refers
to inadequate growth due to a nutritional deficiency. Failure to thrive is often usedin clinical practice to mean that the current weight or rate of weight gain of a childare significantly below that expected of similar children of the same sex and age.
There is no definite accepted measure to diagnose the condition; most practitioners
diagnose failure to thrive when a child’s weight for age falls below the fifth centileof the standard growth chart (see Appendix B.2.1). Although failure to thrive wasonce classified into organic and nonorganic, it is now seen to be the result of
the interaction between the environment and the child’s health, development andbehaviour (Gahagan, 2006). Successful feeding is necessary not only for physicalsurvival but is also tied in with the infant’s general development.
DSM-IV and the DC: 0-3R classification systems
DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) defines “feedingand eating disorders of infancy or early childhood” as a persistent failure to eat
adequately resulting in significant failure to gain weight or significant loss ofweight over at least one month, and the disturbance is not due to an associatedgastrointestinal or other general medical condition. This definition however islimited as it does not include the subcategories or groupings which are evident
when working with very young children who exhibit faltering weight.

Failure to thrive can be
regarded as a descriptive
umbrella for infants or
toddlers who have difficultyin establishing regularfeeding patterns and do notgain the expected weight.

The Diagnostic Classification: Zero to Three Revised Edition (DC0-3R) (Zeroto Three, 2005) re-dresses this problem and makes use of the categories originallydescribed by Chatoor (2002). According to DC0-3R, the diagnosis of feeding
behaviour disorder should be considered when an infant or toddler has difficultyin establishing regular feeding patterns. As has been already stated, the intake offood at this early stage of life is not an isolated activity but part and parcel of therelationship that exists between the caregiver and the baby. Four stages of feeding
behaviour disorder are described – these can become evident during specificdevelopmental phases from the first weeks of life until toddlerhood:•

Feeding disorder of state regulation. Difficulty with feeding becomes evident
during the neonatal period. Young infants must reach a state of calm alertness
in order to feed successfully. Vulnerable infants may have difficulty inreaching this state of calm alertness – an attuned caregiver will be able to help
her infant reach and maintain an optimal state for feeding. However if the
caregiver is overwhelmed or depressed, she may have difficulty in helping her
child attain this state of calm alertness.

•

Feeding disorder of caregiver-infant reciprocity. Between 2 and 6 months of age
the infant affectively engages with the caregiver. Reciprocal vocalizations, eyecontact and physical closeness are the hallmarks of this phase, which Daniel
Stern has called the “most exclusively social period of life” (Stern, 1985).
It is thus to be expected that if the caregiver is unable to respond to theinfant’s cues, feeding may become affected. According to Chatoor (2002),
these infants could be called “neglected” in that their mothers often sufferfrom psychiatric conditions, such as affective illnesses and substance abuse.
Because of the turmoil in their minds, they are unable to be sufficiently
attuned to the cues of their infants. However, the association of serious

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental HealthPhoto: Kent Page, UNICEF, DRC, 2003.

mental disorders with feeding disorder of caregiver-infant reciprocity may
be more applicable to high income countries. In low to middle income
countries, mothers’ disturbance is often a more reactive one – reactive tovery real stressful life events they have to contend with on a daily basis. These
hardships are the cause of preoccupation and depressive affect which in turn
may account for a lack of sensitivity to her child’s cues and thus giving rise
to a feeding disorder of reciprocity. It does not necessarily imply neglect orserious mental disturbance in the mother.
•

Infantile Anorexia. This disorder becomes apparent between the agesof 6 months and 3 years. Chatoor (2002) links it to difficulties in thedevelopmental phase of separation-individuation, as described by Margaret
Mahler (1972). If the infant’s cues have not been understood and bids for
comfort have been responded to by feeding, the infant confuses hunger withemotional experiences and learns to eat or not to eat in response to negative
feelings. Eating can then become a battleground resulting in feeding being
externally regulated by the parents. This condition causes enormous anxiety
in parents who may resort to extreme measures in order to coax their childinto eating.

•Sensory food aversions. These become apparent when the infant transitions
from baby food to table food. These children are very aware of various sensory
stimuli and may respond to the taste, texture, smell and appearance of certain
foods. They may show aversive reactions when specific foods are placed intheir mouths and are generally reluctant to try out new foods, often resulting
in a restricted diet.

Feeding disorder associated with concurrent medical condition and feeding
disorder associated with insults to the gastrointestinal tract will not be dealt with here
as they are not developmentally based and can thus be seen at any age.

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FAILURE TO THRIVE, ATTACHMENT AND
MATERNAL SENSITIVITY
DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980) included growth failure
under the diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder; however, by the time DSMIII-R (American Psychiatric Association) appeared in 1987, the link between
failure to thrive and reactive attachment disorder was eliminated (Boris & Zeanah,2005). Subsequent research has shown that most children with failure to thrive do
not meet criteria for reactive attachment disorder. Irene Chatoor and colleagues(1998) came to the conclusion that feeding problems and growth deficiencies canoccur within the context organized and secure attachment relationships. However,a broad link between failure to thrive and the relationship between mother andbaby can readily be made, even if the criteria for attachment disorder are not met.
The attachment relationship is built to a large degree on the ability of themother to be attuned to her child. From her Uganda study Mary Ainsworth
formulated the concept of maternal sensitivity to infant signals, which she correlatedwith later attachment security (Bretherton, 1992). Mothers who are depressed or
preoccupied are likely to be less available to respond to their infants promptly andappropriately (Patel et al, 2004). This lack of sensitivity can be manifest in thefeeding situation − which during the first year of life is the mother’s main task andthe infant’s main physical need. What is then needed is for mothers to be madeaware of this link and to help them become responsive to their babies in the daily
feeding situation.

RESPONSIVE FEEDING
Nutrition and primary health care programmes place emphasis on concrete
feeding practises and on the actual diet given (Bourne et al , 2007; Bowley etal, 2007; Cattaneo et al, 2008), often with no mention of the fact that feedingin young children is embedded in the relationship with the care-giver. However
it is encouraging to note that over the last decade there has been an increasingawareness of the need a child has for a responsive care-giver, also in the feeding
situation. Thus the concept of responsive feeding has been developed and is being

A child rearing context in Mozambique: Madzawde
Once born a baby was considered to have madzawde - during this period the mother had
to breastfeed her child for 2 years and a symbiotic relationship between mother and infant
was unconditionally guaranteed by this state of madzawde. The mother used the breast for
comfort, the child was carried on the back and she would sleep with the child. This provided
an opportunity of optimal physical and psychological care during the early phase of life. Twoyears after the birth of the baby the parents performed a madzawde ritual which marked thepoint of separation between mother and child and allowed for the re-establishment of themarital relationship. If this ritual was not performed according to the custom a set of physicalsymptoms could ensue which would affect the child and could even lead to death. This phaseand ritual is rooted in the deep cultural knowledge of what a child needs in the first years oflife and has been transmitted from one generation to the next. However, the war experiencesin this region disrupted the ability of parents to carry out this ritual and it is postulated that the
etiology of the Protein-Energy-Malnutrition subsequently seen in this area is elated not somuch to lack of food, but with the disorganization of madzawde (Igreja, 2003).

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Healthincorporated in the scientific literature as well as nutrition programming (Bentley
et al, 2011).
Parents and caregivers vary in the way they feed their children – this depends
not only on the socio-economic context but also the cultural milieu in which thechild is being raised. However, generally speaking, positive verbalizations andattentive mothers are associated with greater acceptance of food and better growth.
While breastfeeding is the norm in most non-western cultures, times of weaning
can be marked by specific rituals, which, if disturbed can lead to faltering weight(see Box in Page 5).
When planning nutritional intervention programmes for young children,
simple and basic messages need to be given, messages which are easily conveyed
and which make sense across different cultural settings. Black and Aboud (2011)
conceptualized a four-step process between caregiver and child that reflects
reciprocity and mutuality and is at the heart of responsive feeding:
1. The caregiver creates a context which promotes interaction – this would
include having a routine, a structure, expectations and a positive emotional
atmosphere.
2. The child responds and gives their signals to the caregiver.
3. The caregiver in turn responds promptly in a manner that is supportive,
contingent and tailored to the child’s developmental abilities and needs.
4. The child will then experience a predictable response.
While the above steps are clear and, on the face of it, easy to implement,much depends on the caregiver’s ability to be attuned to the child and to be able torespond contingently. The third step in the above sequence is the one most dependent
on, and reflective of the caregiver's state of mind. Chronic lack of resources, which
includes not only material but also the lack of supportive relationships, makes
people more vulnerable to additional stress, which contributes to further resource
loss (Hobfoll, 2001). In developing or low income countries this chronic lackof resources is more prevalent. It is thus not surprising that growth stunting isa significant link in the chain of events that lead to ultimate poor educational
outcomes for children in the developing world (Grantham-McGregor et al, 2007).
Concepts such as responsive feeding are helpful in articulating the possible
mechanisms that are at play in the feeding situation. However it must be
remembered that most parents are able to keep their infants alive and feed themwell without having been taught how to do it. It is knowledge that has been
passed on through the generations and, whatever the methods used, it has worked,
otherwise that particular group of humans would not have survived. Daniel Stern’s(2002) words ring true: “A mother’s caregiving repertoire need not be taught, in factcannot be taught, but it can be disinhibited.”
The question then is how can a mother, father or other caregiver bedisinhibited so as to become a responsive feeder of her baby? And, if we step further
back, how do we identify caregivers who are struggling? Given that there might bemillions of such children in developing countries, how do we find them and theirparents? One possible point of entry will be put forward here.

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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SETTING FOR INFANTS IN
A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
It is usual practice that all infants and toddlers are weighed on their scheduled
immunization clinic visits. Growth monitoring has been used as a screening tool
to identify vulnerable children during these visits. The child health chart used inSouth Africa contains a graph which incorporates the weight for age of the child at
every clinic visit. Children who deviate from their trajectory are considered to be
at risk and are referred for nutritional support. Clinical experience has shown that
faltering weight can be associated with a variety of socio-emotional factors and canbe a useful entry point for mental health practitioners.
If mental health services are available, these children and their caregivers
are also referred to an infant mental health practitioner. It would be the task ofthis practitioner to ascertain whether factors relating to the child’s socio-emotional
development could be contributing to the faltering weight. It must be noted thatfor many caregivers anywhere, let alone in developing countries, the notion of an
infant being affected by psychological factors such as family conflict or maternal
depression is novel and care has to be taken to introduce this possibility in a gentle
and understandable way (Berg, 2007). The following steps are guidelines which
are useful when meeting a mother and an infant with faltering weight in a primary
health care setting.
Background information of family and child•

The mother’s trust has to be gained. She may come from a setting where she has
been blamed for her child’s poor weight gain and thus may be angry or closed
in her attitude to health professionals. Trust is established by having a nonjudgmental attitude and giving a simple explanation about the finding that
often children’s problems with feeding and gaining weight have to do withfactors other than provision of food. Such factors are mother’s emotional
problems caused by difficulties within families, stressful life events and thelike. Usually this makes sense to the caregivers and they are willing to talkabout their lives. In addition, confidentiality needs to be stressed. Most

Click on the picture to accessthe NICE clinical guideline
Routine Postnatal Care of
Women and their Babies.

The toddler NB was referred at the age of 14 months with the problem of faltering weight,
which started when she was 3 months of age. While the history was taken in terms of thefamily and day care arrangements, it was noted that NB was very hesitant in approaching the
biscuit that had been placed in front of her. She took a long time to approach it and, once
she had it in her hand, examined it with great care. Only then did she put it in her mouth andstarted chewing on it. This observation of long hesitancy and careful examination made thehealth care provider ask more details about her weaning. This turned out to have been a
traumatic time for mother and NB who, at the age of 3 months, was not ready to be taken off
the breast – for at least one month mother battled to get her to accept the bottle; mother had
no choice as she had to return to work.
NB’s sensitivity and temperament was explained to mother who agreed with the observations.
When she returned 2 weeks later her weight had increased from 8.3kg to 9.1 kg and motherspontaneously said that she was happy that she had been referred to us.
This simple case vignette illustrates how much information can be gleaned by observing theinfant and what relief can be provided to the mother that she and her child can be understoodand not judged.

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Faltering weight in primary health care
The University of Cape Town Parent-Infant Mental HealthService is based at the local children’s hospital and as
part of its outreach programme provides a clinical service
to a large township on the outskirts of the city. A childpsychiatrist, together with a community counsellor who
also acts as interpreter and cultural broker, visit the samewell-baby clinic on a weekly basis. It is known as the“Mdlezana Centre”.
Infant mental health is a concept that is new and unknown
in many communities. Even though it is central, mental
health as such is not high on the list of priorities that haveto be dealt with in these communities, which are struggling
to cope with the daily tasks around survival. Mental healthin infants is even more foreign. A way had to be foundwhereby at risk mother-infant dyads could be identified

and referred. It also had to be done in such a way as to notfrighten or alienate mothers who might experience such areferral to an outside doctor in a negative or threatening
way.
Over time it became evident that faltering weight could
constitute a sign that all was not well, and that this was
not necessarily due to food insecurity, but due to maternal
inhibition. Infant weight is recorded at each visit andplotted on the “Growth monitoring chart”. In many clinics
supplementary food is given in cases where growth has
been unsatisfactory. However, despite this, many babies
fail to respond, underlining the point made earlier thatfeeding hinges on the relationship between mother andinfant. The centre’s mission statement can be seen inpage 9.

mothers come from tight communities where there is much observation andgossip, which results in many not feeling safe to openly discuss their concerns.
•

Information about the family constellation. Relevant information here is thewhereabouts of the father of the baby and the presence or absence of thematernal grandmother. Clinical experience attests to the fact that frequently
mothers harbour negative feelings and thoughts towards the father of thebaby; this may play itself out in the mother rejecting the infant because of
the conscious or unconscious association of her child with its father. The
support of the maternal grandmother is crucial, particularly with very young
mothers. Traditionally, maternal grandmothers perform central advice giving
roles and when this is disrupted for whatever reason, the young woman feels
abandoned, both physically and emotionally.

•

The third task is to look closely at the weight trajectory of the baby and tonote when the weight dropped. Enquiries can then be made as to changes

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Healthor difficulties either within the mother or her family, separations or losses
that occurred during that time. It is important to explain to the mother the
impact these events could have had on her and her child. The time of weaningneeds to be noted as the weight loss often occurs at that time. Prolonged
breast feeding may be a sign of difficulty in separation and could affect theacceptance of solid food – it could be the beginning of infantile anorexia.
•

A physical examination may be necessary if there are dysmorphic features orsuggestions of underlying diseases that may affect growth. Things to lookfor include skin rashes, cleft palate, symptoms of respiratory or cardiac

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9IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Healthdisease (e.g., cyanosis, tachypnoea), abdominal distension or organomegaly,
evaluation of suck-swallow coordination, presence of dysmorphic features
suggestive of a genetic disorder, such as Down’s syndrome; intellectuallydisabled children often have feeding problems.
However, the point that is made in this chapter is about the emotional
connectedness or dis-connectedness between caregiver and child and that it is thisthat affects the feeding relationship. The purpose of gathering information andtalking about facets of the mother and baby’s life is to enable the mother to have aspace in which to think, make links and find meaning, and thus to produce a greaterawareness of how her mind and her actions impact on her child. It also provides
the mother with the only opportunity she may have to share her hardships with an
empathetic listener. Most caregivers understand that concrete help in the form of
employment, grants, and food cannot be given in such a service and appreciate thefact that there is a safe space in which they can be heard.
Assessment of child and caregiver-child interaction
While the above information is being gathered, note is taken of the mannerin which mother gives information, the way in which she handles and holds her
child. In particular it is noted how mother interacts with her infant – is she awareof his needs? Is she attuned to what he is doing? This naturalistic observation, as
opposed to using formal observation measures, has the advantage that it allows an
open-ended approach.
In primary health care settings and in developing countries standardised
assessment scales are often difficult to use as they require specialized training and aremostly based on samples from developed countries. The parent-infant relationshipcan be rated according to the Parent-Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale(PIR-GAS) of DM0-3R (Appendix B.2.2). The emotional and social functioningof the child can be assessed using the Description of Capacities for Emotional andSocial Functioning of the Zero to Three System (2005) (Appendix B.2.3).

A biscuit is useful toobserve the infant’s
behavior more closely.

Besides these naturalistic observations and assessments, there is one techniquewhich may be particularly useful in a resource-poor setting. As Winnicott used the
spatula game in order to assess the infant’s level of anxiety, so a biscuit can be usedin order to observe the infant more closely. The biscuit is placed within reach of
the infant and a close observation is made as to how the infant approaches this new
object. Is there curiosity to feel, to mouth it? Is there a long period of hesitationor does the infant grab it with confidence and spontaneity? Does the infant showinterest in it at all? Observing the use of the biscuit is a technique similar to theobservation of the manner in which an older child would engage with a toy andis a useful adjunct to the overall assessment of the infant. A baby who grabs the
biscuit with confidence, who explores it with his mouth and who can play with it,
is of less concern than an infant who barely notices the new object or who is too
inhibited to venture forth and take hold of it. That infant may be physically not
well, but it may also mean that the child has become withdrawn, lacking in energy
and vitality – either way, this baby requires our attention (Berg, 2010).
Working with a cultural counsellor and interpreter
The majority of health care interactions in a developing country such as
South Africa take place in the presence of a third party. This person, who may

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Healthbe a nurse or a lay individual, is expected to serve a function that is well beyond
that of a mere language interpreter and should be regarded as a cultural broker andco-therapist. If the health care provider comes from a different culture, then it isincumbent to ensure that there is proper translation. It is imperative that cultural
norms and values be understood and, if there is a disjunction between westernbio-medicine and traditional healing methods, then mediation and explanation
is essential. The close working together between the health care provider and thecultural broker ensures that communication is clear and respectful. The primary
health care clinic is a system in itself and has its own culture. It is wise to adjust
to this where possible and not to alienate staff by making extra demands on theirtime.

CONCLUSION
Faltering weight in an infant is a sign that all is not well. This does notnecessarily mean that insufficient protein and calorie intake is the cause, nor does itmean that the child is physically ill. Both these factors need obvious exclusion before
other influences are considered. This Chapter addresses these other influences ofwhich the most important may be maternal depression and preoccupation which
may be the cause of non-responsive feeding of the child.
Offering a space in which confidentiality is assured, and where the motheris able to think and make links is often all that is needed to gain awareness andinsight. In this way behaviour changes and the child is provided with a predictable,
developmentally appropriate response in the feeding situation. Not only may thislead to a more robust weight gain, but it will also lay the basis for a more secure
relationship between infant and caregiver which is the beginning of mental healthfor all.

The author working with an interpreter (and cultural broker) in a South African clinic.

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Stern DN (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A view
from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. New
York: Basic Books.
Stern D (1995). The Motherhood Constellation. New York: Basic
Books.
Wessel MA, Cobb JC, Jackson EB et al (1954). Paroxysmal
fussing in infancy, sometimes called "colic." Pediatrics,
14:421-435.
Zero to Three (2005). DC: 0–3R: Diagnostic Classification of
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Cattaneo A, Timmer A, Bomestar T et al (2008). Child nutritionin countries of the Commonwealth of Independent
States: time to redirect strategies? Public Health

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental HealthAppendix B.2.1

Failure to thrive B.2

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental HealthAppendix B.2.2
The Parent-Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale
PIR-GAS Ratings according to DC: 0-3 R
91-100 Well Adapted
Mutual enjoyment without sustained distress or conflict
81-90 Adapted
At times there may be conflict but it does not persist longer than a few days; interactions
are mostly reciprocal and synchronous
71-80 Perturbed
Some aspect in the overall functioning is less than optimal; child and parent may
experience transient distress lasting up to a few weeks. The disturbance is limited to one
domain of functioning
61-70 Significantly Perturbed
Relationships are strained but still largely adequate. Conflicts are limited to one or two
problematic areas. Both parent and child may expreince distress and difficulty for a monthof more.
51-60 Distressed
Conflict may spread across multiple domains of functioning and resolution is difficult. The
developmental progress of the dyad seems likely to falter if the pattern does not improve41-50 Disturbed
The relationship is beginning to be overshadowed by problematic features. Dysfunctional
patterns are more than transient, and developmental progress may temporarily be
disrupted
31-40 Disordered
Rigidly maladaptive interactions, conflicted interactions are evident. Developmental
progress of the child is likely to be influenced adversely
21-30 Severely Disordered
Relationships are severely compromised. Both parent and child are significantly distressedby the relationship itself. Interactive patterns seem to have been in place for a longtime. Developmental progress of the child is influenced adversely and the child may lose
previously acquired developmental skills
11-20 Grossly Impaired
Relationships are dangerously disorganized and the infant is in imminent danger of physicalharm
1-10 Documented maltreatment
Documented neglect and physical or sexual abuse that is adversely affecting the child’s
physical and emotional development

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IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental HealthAppendix B.2.3
Child’s Capacities for Emotional and Social Functioning Rating Scale
According to DC: 0-3 R
Emotional and social functioning capacities

1

2

Functional rating
3
4
5

6

n/a

Attention and regulation
Forming relationships/mutual engagement
Intentional two-way communication
Complex gestures and problem solving
Use of symbols to express thoughts/feelings
Connecting symbols logically/abstract
thinking
Functional rating
1. Functions at an age-appropriate level under all
conditions and with a full range of affect states
2. Functional at an age-appropriate level, but isvulnerable to stress or with a constricted range
of affect
3. Functions immaturely (i.e., has the capacity, but
not at an age – appropriate level)
4. Functions inconsistently or intermittently unlessspecial structure or sensorimotor support isavailable
5. Barely evidences this capacity, even withsupport
6. Has not achieved thisFailure to thrive B.2

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