Heidelise Als, PhD (Developmental and Clinical Psychologist) was profoundly influenced by parenting her son, born at fullterm with right frontal brain differences. It manifested itself in hypersensitivity and arousability, and eventually before age two in epilepsy. She wrote that her son taught (her) the essence and importance of truly seeing a child, seeing the child’s strengths, while being fully aware of and embracing his differences as part of him.

Dr. Als began to conceptualize NIDCAP from her University of Pennsylvania graduate student observations in a special nursery for early born newborns.

Dr. Als studied preterm born infants from within the Newborn Intensive Care Nursery into early childhood and identified their continued sensitivity and the support for regulation they continued to seek.

In collaboration with Frank H. Duffy, MD (Pediatric Neurologist and Neurophysiologist), Dr. Als began to understand and document the effects of NICU care on the immature brain and the behavioral effects associated.

Early NIDCAP adopters, gretchen Lawhon, RN, PhD, FAAN, Pat Linton, RN and Elizabeth Brown, MD were convinced that in care modifications and adaptions based on the infants’ cues were beneficial to the infants’ breathing & calmness.

T. Berry Brazelton, MD (Developmental Pediatrician) founded the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital Boston where Dr. Als joined him as researcher.

On the basis of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, Dr. Als developed a pilot version of the Assessment of Preterm Infants’ Behavior (APIB).

Dr. Duffy with the support of Dr. Gloria McAnulty successfully tested its validity with his newly developed computerized brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM) methodology.

Dr. Als, Rita Gibes RN MSN & gretchen Lawhon, RN PhD, CBC, FAAN, with support from Michael Epstein, MD, Deborah Moir Buehler, PhD, & Deborah Kerr, MSW

Drs. Als and Brown received an H.P. Hood Foundation, Boston grant, to evaluate the safety and value of NIDCAP. This study published in Pediatrics (1986) described the benefits of NIDCAP and lack of any untoward effects

Training in NIDCAP’s infant-based observations and accordingly adapted caregiving strategies that include parents and families.

With mentor T. Berry Brazelton and his associates (B.M. Lester and E. Tronick), Dr. Alspublished an evaluation for newborn infants’ strengths and competencies, fragilities, thresholds to disorganization and emerging next steps.

Dr. Als described the developmental process.

Ms. Gibes, a steadfast advocate of individualized developmental care, originated the name Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP).

gretchen Lawhon, RN PhD, CBC, FAAN

gretchen Lawhon, RN PhD, CBC, FAAN

Martha Kendall Holmes, MSW, LCSW, ACSW (Social Worker) and Roger E. Sheldon, MD (Neonatologist), from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA, became reliable in NIDCAP and opened the “Sooner NIDCAP Training Center.”

(Formerly Oakland Children’s NIDCAP Training Center, 1987; Stanford NIDCAP Training Center, 1995; and West Coast NIDCAP Center, Mills College, 2002; West Coast NIDCAP and APIB Training Center at University of California San Francisco, 2008)

Elsa Sell, MD opened this second APIB training center outside of Boston at the Sahuaro APIB and NIDCAP Training Chapter in Tucson, Arizona

Linda Gilkerson, PhD, from the Erikson Institute in Chicago, Illinois, first formally introduced reflective processing and its practice to the NIDCAP training program in the context of a multi-site, US Department of Education funded research institute.

Attendees: Heidelise Als, Joy Browne, Deborah Buehler,Susan Burke, Karen Daniels, Deana DeMare, Peggy Doyle, Emily Feinberg, Gay Gale, Jim Helm, Toni Vento,Linda Gilkerson, Rodd Hedlund, Susan Hill-Mangan, Susan Leib, Debby Kerr, Melissa Johnson, Donna Kolar, gretchen Lawhon, Pat Linton, Linda Lutes, Marie Reilly, Sigrid Stevens,

Originated by Dr. Sell and Susann Hill-Mangan, MA (Sahuaro APIB and NIDCAP Training Center, Tucson, Arizona USA)

During the Second Annual NIDCAP Trainers Meeting (hosted by the Colorado NIDCAP Training Center and its Center Director and Trainer Joy Browne, PhD), an elk statue began the tradition of being presented at the end of each meeting to the host site for the following year’s annual meeting.

Agneta Kleberg, PhD, RN, Karin Stjernqvist, PhD and Björn Westrup, MD were pioneers in bringing NIDCAP to Europe with the Karolinska NIDCAP Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

The NIDCAP Federation International, Inc. (NFI), a non-profit membership organization, formed to promote the advancement of the philosophy and science of NIDCAP care and assure the quality of NIDCAP education, training, mentoring and certification for professionals and hospital systems.

From the left: James Helm, PhD, Joy Browne, PhD, gretchen Lawhon, RN, PhD, CBC, FAAN, Heidelise Als, PhD,Linda Gilkerson, PhD, Gloria McAnulty, PhD, Deborah Buehler, PhD, Kathleen VandenBerg, PhD.

Senior Editor Rodd Hedlund, MEd and Associate Editors Drs. Buehler and Lawhon and Sandra Kosta, BA

Successful distinction by the Newborn Intensive Care Nursery at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, Boise, Idaho.

Led by team of Karen Smith, MEd, BSN, RNC, and Drs. Buehler and Als with Dr. McAnulty and Sandra Kosta, BA.

Rodd Hedlund, MEd

NIDCAP France

Sandra Kosta, BA

Mandy Daly, ACII, DLDU & Samantha Butler, PhD (Co-Chairs)

The NFI launches its first Podcast Series – Season One: NICU Care with NIDCAP.

On March 1, 2021 the NFI launched its Webinar Series. The inaugural webinar featured Heidelise Als, PhD presenting Supporting Parents’ Understanding of their Infant’s Behavior, followed by a Question and Answer session moderated by Deborah Buehler, PhD. Over 1000 people from all over the world participated in the live event.

The new website includes user-friendly functionality…

The NFI is pleased to introduce its Learning Center which will house foundational educational opportunities as well as informational videos for families with infants in intensive care settings.