Up to 50 per cent of toddlers and preschool children prone to persistent aggression or tantrums are likely to have mental health problems requiring professional help, a report by the Centre for Community Child Health at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne has warned.

Even at this early stage in their lives, environmental factors such as financial disadvantage, more than genetics, are determining their mental health, centre director Frank Oberklaid said.

“Experiences in the early years shape the development of young children’s brains in ways that have long-lasting effects,” Professor Oberklaid said.

Source: The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20640478-2702,00.html