Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) for assessing mother-child emotional connection

This technology is a brief scored assessment of mother-child emotional connection using readily observable elements to inform and guide early childhood development.

Unmet Need: Method to directly assess the mother-child emotional connection

The mother-infant emotional connection is a critical part of behavioral, physical, and social development for the child. Additionally, establishment of a mother-child positive emotional co-regulation can strengthen the emotional connection between the two. Current methods of assessing this emotional connection are inadequate, as they rely on evaluating the mother and child separately during interaction. These methods often require additional formal training, thus prohibiting their applicability outside of select healthcare or childcare settings.

The Technology: Comprehensive and unambiguous assessment of mother-child emotional connection

The Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) is an observational scoring method in which a third-party observes and scores the mother-infant interaction on four dimensions: attraction, vocal communication, facial communication, and sensitivity/reciprocity. The WECS scoring form is also paired with a training document written in clear, explicit translatable language (CETL) or an online training module that describes and guides observers through interactions and behaviors that can positively or negatively impact scoring in each of the four dimensions. After assessment, the WECS will provide a clinical rating (connected or not connected), and individual scores may then be utilized by childcare and healthcare professionals to further guide the mother through early parenthood.

This technology has been validated in a controlled study of mother-infants and was shown to positively correlate with infant social engagement and maternal positivity.

Applications:

• Assessment of mother-infant emotional connection
• Assessment of father-infant emotional connection
• Identifying potentially at-risk infant-parent dyads
• Providing targeted guidance to parents in support of early childhood emotional health
• Training clinicians to use WECS in pediatric primary care settings

Advantages:

• Can be completed in a short period of time
• Universally translatable to other languages
• Requires no additional formal training
• Comprehensive evaluation of the mother-infant dyad across four behavioral dimensions
• Validated in a controlled clinical setting
• Provides a clear clinical assessment rating of “connected” or “not connected”
• Assessment can be done live or through video
• Clinicians may be trained on their own time through online training modules

Lead Inventor:

Martha G. Welch, M.D.

Related Publications:

• O’Banion DD, Hane AA, Litsas D, Austin J, Welch MG. “The Welch Emotional Connection Screen: Adapting observational methods to pediatric primary care via resident training.” Infant Behav Dev. 2021 Aug 21; 65: 101629.

• Fagan MA, Frosch CA, Middlemiss W, LaCoursiere JN, Owen MT, Hane AA, Welch MG. “The practical utility of the Welch Emotional Connection Screen for rating parent-infant relational health.” Infancy. 2019 Nov; 24(6): 881-892.

• Frosch CA, Fagan MA, Lopez MA, Middlemiss W, Chang M, Hane AA, Welch MG. “Validation study showed that ratings on the Welch Emotional Connection Screen at infant age six months are associated with child behavioural problems at age three years.” Acta Paediatr. 2019 May; 108(5): 889-895.

• Hane AA, LaCoursiere JN, Mitsuyama M, Wieman S, Ludwig RJ, Kwon KY, V Browne J, Austin J, M Myers M, Welch MG. “The Welch Emotional Connection Screen: validation of a brief mother-infant relational health screen.” Acta Paediatr. 2019 Apr; 108(4): 615-625.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU17291, CU19271, CU21130, CU22055

• Licensing Contact: Joan Martinez