An Introduction to Attachment

Implications for School Leadership

Megan Smith Senior Educational Psychologist

Suffolk Community Educational Psychology Service

Session Content

1. A brief outline of Attachment Theory including some of the neuroscience of attachment

2. Consideration of some of the implications for school leadership

Attachment theory has had significant implications:

What is Attachment?

Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space.

(Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969).

What happens when ‘Good Enough’ parenting is available?

Secure Base Containment

Attunement Internal Working Model

What are the numbers?

• Pre-birth stress, for example, mother self-harms or experiences domestic violence• Alcohol and/or drug use during pregnancy• Parental illness before or after birth, for example ante- or post-natal depression• Parental mental health, e.g. depression, bipolar, personality disorder • Premature baby• Bereavements in family• Baby having a disability• Neglect• Emotional abuse• Sexual abuse• Physical abuse• Witnessing domestic violence • Home instability• Multiple home or school placements in early years • Parent or caregiver have attachment-based problems from their own childhood• Young parenting• Long hospitalization for either baby or parent which results in prolonged separation• Poverty or extreme wealth• Lack of stimulating environment• Chaotic, stressful family environment • Poverty• Low quality early childcare

Threats to Attachment

What happens in the brain?

• Levels of cortisol respond to attachment patterns: secure attachment means babies are better able to cope with stress with generally low cortisol levels

• Higher cortisol levels lead to poor self-regulation, shrinking connections and cell death in the brain

• Children who have been severely abused or neglected are subject to chronic high levels of blood cortisol and can have head circumferences smaller than average

What Happens When Attachment is Threatened?

“Still Face Experiment Dr Edward Tronick

Murray and Trevarthen 1985

Resources for staff training

www.attachmentawareschools.com/

Attachment Aware Schools is a partnership between Bath Spa University, Bath and North East Somerset Council, the National College for Teaching and Leadership, a range of third sector organisations, attachment specialists and schools.

http://www.acamh.org/local-network/east-anglia/events

‘Inside I’m Hurting’: supporting the pupil who has experienced significant relational traumas and lossDate: Friday 13 March 2015; 9:00am - 4:00pmVenue: Trinity Park Centre, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 8UH

ACAMH Member: £90Non-Member: £118

Attachment framework for understanding behaviour styles

1.Secure2.Insecure and Avoidant attachment3.Insecure Ambivalent Attachment4.Insecure Disorganised Attachment

Secure attachment

“Adults are reliable and helpful. I know that I can trust them to meet my needs; you’re there for me. I find it easy to trust you and others. I am OK if you are with me or busy doing other things. You find me relatively easy to relate to.”

Bomber 2007

Avoidant attachment

• “Adults are rejecting or intrusive. So when I meet you I will avoid and ignore you and look after myself. I won’t be asking you for help no matter what I face. It’s not OK to be emotional. Love? Care? Why would I trust you? You have no idea what I need.”

• Bomber (2007)

Ambivalent attachment

“Adults are unpredictable. I have to draw attention to myself to get you to notice me and to make sure I get my needs met, even if it’s just some of them. I can’t rely on you working out what I need and when. Sometimes you will feel like I’m in your face but you’ve got to understand that I can’t bear to be ignored – that terrifies me. I want comfort but it doesn’t help me.”

Bomber (2007)

Disorganised attachment

“Adults are either frightening by being abusive towards you or frightened because they seem so scared or helpless most of the time. I don’t know whether to approach you or run away from you. I feel confused by you and others. I’m bad. I’m frightened. Why should I trust you? But then I need you sometimes. I need to stay in control and be ready. Who knows what will happen next.” Bomber(2007)

“It’s like being starving, but faced with a ‘poisoned cake’” (Hopkins, 1990)

Pupil

Teacher Task

Resilient

Confident

Self Esteem

Independent

Achieving

Positive Approach to School

The Learning Triangle: 1. Securely Attached

Pupils who can’t ask for help:2. Insecure – Avoidant

IndifferentUnderachieving

Sensitive to Teacher proximityDenial of the need for teacher

supportHostility towards the teacher is

directed towards the taskDesire to be autonomous

Pupil

Teacher Task

General Interventions:2. Avoidant Attachment

The teacher is associated with negative expectations – the child expects to be let down, or hurt. Thus ...

• The relationship between the pupil and the teacher is made safe by the presence of the task

• Therefore a well delivered lesson plan, made clear at the start and clear, structured tasks which can be completed with little help from the teacher can reduce the threat of ‘not knowing’ something and feeling unsupported.

• Concrete structured activities, with little call for imagination are safest

• Writing can be difficult for these individuals. Structured assignments with boxes may be preferred

• The presence of another child can moderate the intensity of the teachers proximity. Pairs or groups may help the child experience close proximity to the teacher.

Task

Pupil

Teacher

Highly anxious

Underachieving

Attention Seeking

Poor Concentration/ ignore the task

Dependent on teacher support

Fears Separation

Hostile towards teacher if frustrated

Pupils who fear separation: 3. Insecure - Ambivalent

General Interventions:3. Ambivalent Attachment

The child is preoccupied with their relationship with the adult and in being ‘held in mind’. To begin the process of change the child needs to engage with the task...

• Small independent steps – take turns with the pupil to show how to work alongside someone rather than merging with each other

• Modelling of turn taking• A timer to indicate when the task is over and the relationship can

continue (or clear guidance – “Answer the first three questions and I’ll come back and check.”). If you get distracted acknowledge what has happened (“I’m sorry I didn’t get back when we agreed, you probably thought I had forgotten about you, but I hadn’t”).

• Special objects – home and school• Explicit comments across the classroom• Small group work which facilitates working with others• Warnings of changes and class movements• Be aware of absenteeism

The Most Worrying Pupils:4. Disorganised Attachment

Pupil

Teacher Task

Controlling

Intense Anxiety

Underachieving

Distrusting of Authority

Likely to reject task or any educational challenge for fear of failing or not knowing

General Interventions:4. Disorganised Attachment

These children are highly vulnerable; they will need to experience sufficient containment, both physical and emotional.

Care typically involves:• Reliable and predictable routine• A physical container or ‘secure base’• Regular praise and positive feedback• Safety routines – minimum amount of staff involved• Concrete objectives such as counting, colouring

sorting, building structures, sequencing objects, copying etc.

• Sharing of known triggers and strategies

Key Adult

• The presence of a significant other in school can help overcome the adverse experiences in primary relationships

• Through access to an adult who will take a special interest in them, the child can experience their emotional states being contained and regulated by someone else. They will be soothed and freed up to learn.

• Once a child understands their own needs, views and feelings, they can become sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others.

Questions for school Leadership:

A. Safety

1.In what ways can your school provide a “safe haven” for children?2.When or where does your school not provide a safe haven for some children?

B. Relationships

Research draws attention to the significance of the pupil-teacher relationship in order to develop a positive emotional climate and an effective learning environment.

Research on attachment suggests a relational rather than a behavioural framework for supporting children’s behaviour is more effective.

C. Emotional Resilience

To be able to engage in learning a pupil needs to be able to take risks, to learn new things and face new challenges. A good learner needs to be able to manage frustration and anxiety, have good self esteem, be willing to take risks and be able to ask for help when needed.

Emotion Coaching

D. Levels of support

Creating an infrastructure for children with emotional needs (as we do for physical and learning impairments).Consistent thinking and practice across all school staff.Whole school approaches; targeted approaches and specialist support.

E. Transitions

• Importance of home-school partnership and views of the child

• Transition planning 4 to 6 months prior to transition even• Introduce new staff early• Keep key adult consistent through transition if at all possible• Mark goodbyes and prepare for change• Maintain links after transition• Share information between staff• Limit the number of changes• Increase number of visits

F. Supporting staff

How to support adults working in schools with the difficult feelings that can arise when working with children who have experienced trauma and loss.How to provide space to step back and consider the needs of the child.

Staff support systems need to be:

• Whole school• Monthly team supervision• 1 to 1 supervision for high levels of trauma• Informal debriefs for staff to problem-solve as

required• Staff supervision policy• High quality ongoing CPD on AttachmentBomber 2009 and 2011

Useful books for the staff room