Intermountain Children's Home and Services announced it is hosting a two-day conference on June 18-19 featuring Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy, in Helena, Montana. The ChildTrauma Academy is a non-profit organization that promotes innovations in service, research and education in child maltreatment and childhood trauma (www.ChildTrauma.org).

Experiences shape the organization of the brain, which in turn, influences the emotional, social, cognitive and physiological activities. Those experiences profoundly influence a child’s development. Insights into this process come from understanding brain development. Developmental neglect – specifically, relational neglect - profoundly impairs normal development.

A poorly regulated stress response due to inconsistent or impaired caregiving during these critical periods may lead to altered brain development. The presentation will review clinical work and research in the areas of abuse and neglect to better help us to understand attachment. An overview will suggest new directions for clinical practice, program development and policy.

Conference Objectives:

1. Provide an overview of key principles of neurodevelopment crucial for understanding the role of experience in defining functional and physical organization of the brain.


2. Describe the emerging clinical and research findings in maltreated children that suggests the negative impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on brain development and functioning of the child.


3. Outline the clinical implications of a neurodevelopmental approach to child maltreatment.


4. Discuss the role of public policy and preventative practices in context of the impact of maltreatment on children's emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social and physical health.