I applaud the op-ed by, “Inflicting ‘toxic stress’ on innocent kids,” (June 24), by Rep. Diana Urban. As a board member of the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health and the international Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, I, too, am distraught about what we are doing to babies and young children when we tear them away from their parents at our border. While that inhumane practice has reportedly stopped, reuniting those already separated seems lagging.

Scientific studies provide evidence that adverse experiences (including traumatic separation from caregivers in the early years) change the architecture of the developing brain and likely lead to significant developmental delays and behavioral disturbances, physical and mental health problems. The Developing Child website provides the evidence.

I fear for these babies and all children. We may be promoting rather than stemming aggressive and gang behaviors when we warehouse children away from parents. I know that there are other instances when children are separated from parents in our country, however, infant mental health professionals are working hard to minimize those events and to provide caring and sensitive transitions when the separations must happen. Nothing like that is happening at our borders.

Margaret C. Holmberg

Waterford