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Supporting Attachment
Children Learn What They Live
“If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.
If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.”
- Dorothy Law Nolte
In the Same Way…
Research shows that child victims of neglect fail to develop secure psychological attachments as infants. This has serious implications for the child’s subsequent physical, cognitive, and emotional development.
If a child lives in a neglectful, non-nurturing environment and suffers at the hands of an abuser, he learns he is not safe, that his needs will not be met, and that violence is a way of life.
Introduction A history of responsive care and secure attachment form
the foundation for positive physical, cognitive, and psychological development of children.
Research shows that up to 80% of high-risk families create severe attachment disorders in their children.
As home visitors, you will be working with families who may not understand the importance of providing a nurturing, responsive environment for children.
You may also work with families who are having a difficult time establishing an attachment relationship with their baby.
Remember, Healthy Families wants to enhance parents' ability to create stable and nurturing home environments, to promote healthy childhood growth and development, and to help develop positive parent-child interaction.
IntroductionAs home visitors, you can achieve these goals is by...
Educating yourselves on the importance of attachment and the parent-child relationship, so that you can then share the information with families.
Taking steps to improve the quality of the parent-child relationship such as modeling techniques parents can use to support the attachment process.
Praising parents when they do engage in positive behaviors that support attachment. This will help increase the positive behavior.
Helping families develop FSP goalsto build the attachment relationship and to provide a nurturing environment for their children.
Introduction
This training will provide you with answers to these questions.
It is designed to help you understand what current research is saying about how children develop.
What do we really know about
how a young child develops?
What can parents do to best
support their child’s healthy
development and growing brain?
Training ObjectivesUpon completing this training, you will be able to…
Define Attachment.
Identify characteristics of securely and insecurely attached children.
Describe how lack of good nurturing impacts child development.
Understand the importance of positive, loving stimulation to brain development.
Identify signs of nurturing vs. non-nurturing environments.
Describe techniques that parents may use to provide a nurturing environment for their children.
Brain Development Research Babies are born with over
100 billion brain cells called neurons.
Brain cells connect with other brain cells to form critical pathways in the brain. These connections are called synapses.
Baby’s brains are not fully formed at birth.
The brain cells are present, but they are essentially waiting to be “connected” or “hooked up.” Neuron
Synapse
Brain Development Research
0
10
20
30
40
50P
E
R
C
E
N
T
A
G
E1st Yr 2nd
Yr
~~ Life's
End
Life Long Learning
A newborn’s brain is only about ¼ the size of an adult’s brain. By the age of 5 a child’s brain has grown to 90% of an adult-sized brain.
It is estimated that half of what we need to know for life (50%) is learned during the first year of life and another 25% is learned during the second year. From the age of three and on, the remaining 25% is learned.
The brain grows as more synapses and connections are formed.
Research on brain development shows that neural pathways that are used consistently are strengthened and that those that are rarely used may be pruned away. You basically use it or lose it.
Brain Development Research This suggests that the earliest
experiences in life, provide the foundation for shaping the brain and children’ s development.
Experiences actually change the structure of the brain.
In experiments with animals, nurturing and enriched environments led to an increased number of synaptic connections. It also led to an increase in the number of neurons and the volume of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a region of the brain that is important for learning and memory.
Brain Development Research A report entitled From Neurons to Neighborhoods: the
Science of early Childhood Development, provided a few key findings about the nature of early child development.
Key findings from this report include:
A primary caregiver’s relationship with their child is the foundation of the child’s development.
A child’s development depends on both the traits he or she was born with and what he or she experiences. (Nature & Nurture)
All areas of development are linked. Each depends on and influences the other.
Experiences, including parental responses, shape a child’s development and how they adapt to the world.
Brain Development ResearchInformation about brain development tells us that…
Nurturing
environments
and attachment
relationships are
important to
healthy child
development!
Why Nurturing Environments are
Important Nurturing environments are important
because they provide the experiences,
responses, and relationships necessary for
healthy brain development.
Research tells us that baby brains grow and
critical brain pathways connect through
experience and positive, loving stimulation.
Nurturing environments provide stimulation,
and as a result, increase the number of
synaptic connections in the brain.
Therefore, healthy brain connections depend
on healthy human connections.
Why Nurturing Environments are
Important Infants and young children need
environments that are interesting to
explore, safe, and filled with caring
people who will respond to their
emotional, physical, and intellectual
needs.
Babies that get love, comfort, and
security will develop and learn better
than those who are ignored or neglected.
In fact, studies show that poor nurturing
and lack of responsive care impacts
child development in negative ways.
How Does Poor Nurturing Impact
Child Development?
Poor nurturing leads children to:
Lack trust
Lack confidence
Lack faith
Become more withdrawn
Feel a sense of worthlessness
Lack emotional connections
Have difficulty developing language and speech
Have poor brain activity
How Can Caregivers Promote
Healthy Development?
Caregivers can ensure healthy
child development by providing a
nurturing environment that helps
foster a secure attachment
relationship and help stimulate
brain activity.
Families and caregivers have always suspected they are
important to infants.
New brain research supports this idea by stressing and
confirming the importance of loving, nurturing and
consistent relationships with primary caregivers.
What is Attachment? Attachment is a strong affection that binds one person to
another.
It is the emotional connection that infants and children
develop toward their parents and others who care for them.
An infant’s first attachment is formed with the primary
caregiver that provides physical and emotional care.
An attachment is formed between a
primary caregiver and child during the first
few years of life.
This attachment relationship forms during
the critical times of early brain
development, and is therefore, a significant
influence on future development.
Why is Attachment Important? Attachment is essential for the foundation of a healthy
personality. It helps children to:
Attain their full intellectual potential
Sort out what they perceive
Think logically
Develop a conscience
Become self-reliant
Handle fear and worry
Develop future relationships (Fahlberg, 1979).
The attachment relationship actually becomes the base from which all other relationships are formed.
A solid and healthy attachment relationship with a primary caregiver means that a child will most likely establish healthy relationships with others as he or she grows.
Why is Attachment Important? Secure attachment provides infants with feelings of safety
and security.
It allows the infant and child to explore his or her world and
to know that if frightened or distressed, he or she will be
safe, soothed or comforted by their caregiver.
It allows them to trust others and their world, which allows
them the freedom and security to explore their
surroundings. This provides the necessary stimulation for
healthy brain development.
These early attachment relationships, therefore, influence
brain development and help to shape emotions, thinking,
learning, and behavior throughout life.
Bonding is the process of forming an attachment.
Bonding involves a set of behaviors on the part of the
infant and primary caregiver that will lead to an emotional
connection.
Infants are born defenseless and must depend on a
caregiver to survive.
During the first years of life, infants will signal needs
though the use of cues. For example, infants may babble,
coo, cry, smile, and cling.
An emotionally and physically healthy caregiver will
respond by cuddling, rocking, gazing at, or touching the
infant to soothe or comfort him and meets his needs.
How is Attachment Formed?
In most cases, the caregiver’s
responses calm, soothe, and gratify
the infant.
At the same time, the infant’s
behaviors and responses gratify and
please the caregiver.
It is through this reciprocal process
of positive responses that
attachment is formed.
The infant must receive these
responses consistently and
repeatedly for normal attachment
and bonding to occur.
The Healthy Attachment Cycle
Baby has a
need
Baby
Cries
Need
is
met
Trust
Develops
In the healthy attachment
cycle, the infant’s needs
are met repeatedly and
consistently over and over
again. Satisfaction is felt
by both the infant and
caregiver.
Disturbed Attachment Cycle In other instances, a caregiver
may not respond to an infant’s
signals or may respond to the
infant’s needs in negative
ways.
For example, the caregiver
may hit, scream, or simply
ignore the infant.
At the height of this emotional
state, this infant may learn that
his needs will not be met, or
that abuse is the only means
of gratification.
Baby has
a need
Baby
Cries
Need
is not
met
Trust does not
Develop
In the disturbed
attachment cycle, the
infant’s needs are not met
repeatedly and consistently
over and over again. This
infant learns that the world
is an unsafe place and that
his needs will not be met.
How Trust Develops It is through these patterns of interaction that trust and
attachment relationships develop between infant and caregiver.
Consistent and repeated positive responses on the part of the caregiver will teach children that they can trust that their needs will be met. Children begin to anticipate the response of the caregiver.
On the other hand, if a caregiver consistently and repeatedly fails to meet a child’s needs or responds in negative and inconsistent ways, the child will learn not to trust.
The quality of the attachment relationship will have an impact on a child’s physical, social, and emotional development.
Assessing the Quality of Attachment
Attachment is not assessed in terms of quantity, but
instead in terms of quality.
For example, those infants who experience healthy
attachment cycles are labeled secure.
Infants who experience disturbed attachment cycles are
labeled insecure.
In order to assess the effects that differing attachment
relationships have on a child’s development, researchers
use a procedure called the Strange Situation.
The Strange Situation procedure was first used by Mary
Ainsworth.
What is the Strange Situation? In the Strange Situation procedure, infants
that are about 1 year of age are separated
and reunited with their primary caregiver .
The Strange Situation is intended to be a
somewhat stressful experience for an
infant.
The procedure introduces several stressful
experiences to the infant such as a new
room, a stranger, and two separations
from his or her primary caregiver.
The goal is to examine and observe how
the infant uses the caregiver to help him or
her cope with stress.
The Strange Situation The manner in which infants react to this situation reveals
the different expectations infants have about the availability of caregivers in times of need. (The infants’ responses will vary depending on whether or not they have undergone healthy attachment cycles or disturbed attachment cycles)
It is assumed that securely attached infants will seek
comfort and reassurance from the caregiver during times
of distress and use the caregiver as a secure base from
which to explore.
The Strange Situation procedure consists of a series of 8
episodes during which infant and caregiver are separated
and reunited.
Strange Situation Episodes
The following 8 episodes occur during the procedure:
1. Caregiver and infant are introduced to the
experimental room.
2. Caregiver and infant are alone in the room.
3. A stranger enters the room, talks to the caregiver,
and then approaches the infant and attempts to play
with the infant.
4. The caregiver leaves the room inconspicuously and
the first separation occurs. The infant is left with the
stranger.
Strange Situation Episodes
5. The first reunion episode occurs. The caregiver
enters the room, greets and comforts the infant if
necessary and tries to withdraw.
6. The second separation occurs. This time the
caregiver leaves the room and the infant is left alone.
7. The stranger reenters the room and tries to settle the
infant if necessary.
8. A second reunion occurs. The caregiver enters the
room, greets the infant, picks up the infant, and the
stranger leaves the room inconspicuously.
Attachment Categories As a result of studies in this area, researchers have
identified four patterns of infant attachment behaviors.
These are:
Secure attachment
Avoidant attachment
Resistant attachment
Disorganized/disoriented attachment
Avoidant, resistant, and disorganized/disoriented patterns
of attachment are considered insecure forms of
attachment.
Infants exhibit differing behaviors depending on the
attachments they have formed with their caregiver.
Insecure
patterns of
attachment
Secure Attachment In secure attachment, infants
learn that their caregiver is consistently available to them in times of distress.
Securely attached infants will seek comfort from their caregiver in times of distress and will also use them as a secure base from which to explore.
For example, they may wander off to explore, but check in periodically with their caregiver.
Avoidant Attachment In avoidant attachment, infants learn that their caregiver
is not available or a consistent protector from stress.
When the primary caregiver of a child who has avoidant
attachment briefly leaves the child, the child is not very
distressed and actively turns away from the caregiver
upon reunion.
It is estimated that 20% of American infants
show this pattern of attachment.
Resistant Attachment In resistant attachment, an infant learns
that the parent is emotionally available,
but is unpredictable.
When the primary caregiver of a child
who has resistant attachment briefly
leaves the child, the child is very
distressed upon the separation.
The child is also ambivalent or angry and
resists physical contact upon reunion
with the caregiver.
It is estimated that 10-15% of infants
exhibit this pattern.
Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
When the primary caregiver of a child who has disorganized/ disoriented attachment briefly leaves the child, the child is extremely distressed.
This infant experiences the most distress by separation and upon reunion acts confused and dazed.
It is estimated that 5-10% of American infants exhibit this pattern of attachment.
Characteristics of Securely Attached
Children
Securely attached and insecurely attached children
have been found to differ in many ways.
Securely attached children will venture away from their
caregiver and explore their environment (using the
caregiver as a secure base) and will return to the
caregiver if there is any anxiety.
Studies also show that securely
attached children engage in more
elaborate make-believe play.
Securely attached children have also
been found to be more cooperative.
Characteristics of Securely Attached
Children In preschool, securely attached children display
greater enthusiasm, flexibility and persistence
in problem-solving.
They are more self-confident and have a
positive self-concept.
Securely attached children
are also more empathetic and
they demonstrate an
expectation to receive
empathetic responses from
their caregiver.
Characteristics of Securely Attached
Children
As infants, securely attached children may
cry when their caregiver leaves, but they
seek contact when their caregiver returns.
They also smile more readily at the caregiver.
Finally, studies show that
securely attached children are
better at regulating their
emotions, are more emotionally
open to others, and have less
school adjustment problems.
Characteristics of Insecurely
Attached Children
Studies also show that insecurely attached infants cry
significantly more than attached infants.
Children who have few positive relationships in early
childhood or who are insecurely attached are at risk for a
number of problems.
Insecurely attached infants will not explore their surroundings
because they cannot trust that their caregiver will be
available to them when they need them. This can lead to
lower cognitive skills because exploration experiences are
necessary for brain development.
In addition, infants may not develop feelings of competence.
Characteristics of Insecurely
Attached Children
From preschool through adolescence,
children with avoidant attachment were
more likely to have behavioral and
emotional problems.
In one study, two-year olds demonstrated
significant deficits in coping skills, more
frustration, anger, and noncompliance when
compared to securely attached children.
Insecurely attached children also show evidence of
lower self-esteem, poorer control over impulses, and
express less positive and more negative affect.
Characteristics of Insecurely
Attached Children
In addition, insecurely attached children have higher
levels of cortisol in their saliva.
Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted during times of
stress. Researchers believe that high levels of cortisol
may impede neural connections and the ability of the
brain to regulate emotions.
This may explain why insecurely attached children are
less well-prepared for learning.
Finally, in extreme cases, insecurely attached children
show no remorse when harming others and are at risk for
developing ant-social, aggressive, and violent behaviors.
What Causes Attachment Problems? Despite popular belief,
attachment problems are not always the result of abuse.
In fact, a majority of attachment problems are due to parental ignorance about child development and bonding rather than abuse.
Many parents simply do not know or understand that the first three years of life are the most critical for brain development and that their relationship with the child affects development.
Factors that Impede Attachment In addition to parental ignorance about child development,
there are other factors that can affect the formation of an
attachment.
Premature babies are usually more
difficult to parent than a baby born at
full term. This may lead parents to
have negative feelings towards the
infant, which can lead to attachment
problems.
Difficult or unwanted pregnancies can also lead to
attachment problems. Mothers may not experience
any positive feelings towards their baby. They may
engage in little interaction with their baby.
Factors that Impede Attachment Child temperaments can hinder attachment relationships.
Some children may be difficult to comfort,
aggressive/hyperactive, or depressed. This may cause
much frustration to the caregiver, causing them to ignore
or respond inappropriately to an infant.
In other instances, the temperament of the caregiver
doesn’t match the child’s, thus leading to
misunderstanding or over stimulation of the infant.
Finally, a caregiver who is
depressed or chemically dependent
is emotionally unavailable to their
infant because their own needs
have not been met.
Factors that Impede Attachment In addition to the factors already mentioned, there are a
variety of other factors that can cause disruptions or
interruptions in attachment. These include:
Divorce
Death
Inadequate daycare
Child with a chronic illness
Child with a disability
Caregiver with chronic illness
What Can Home Visitors Do?
As home visitors, there are several things that you can do to help promote healthy child growth and development.
We have learned that two of the most important factors influencing development are nurturing environments and attachment relationships.
Therefore, as home visitors you must encourage parents to provide nurturing environments for their infant/child and to respond in appropriate ways to their infant’s/child’s needs.
What Home Visitors Can Do In order to help caregivers respond
appropriately to their children, home visitors must first be able to assess the quality of attachment relationships.
This requires that home visitors be able to identify signs of both positive and problematic parent and infant relationships.
If a home visitor finds that there is evidence of a problematic relationship, they can then identify the best strategy to help foster a more positive relationship.
On the other hand, if parents seem to be responding in appropriate ways to their children, then efforts may be aimed at other issues.
Signs of Positive Attachment Some positive signs that demonstrate a parent’s
attachment with their baby include:
Parent feels pleasure in the infant and in the task of caring for him/her.
Parents are able to understand the infant’s mood and comfort the infant when he/she is upset.
Parents are able to read the infant’s cues and are sensitive to the infant’s emotional and physical needs.
Parent’s can distinguish between infant’s cries. For example, they can tell if it is a cry of distress or a cry of hunger.
Finally, parent’s nurture the infant while feeding him/her.
Signs of Problematic Attachment Some negative signs that demonstrate a parent is having
a difficult time attaching to their infant include:
Parent does not touch, look at, or make eye contact with the infant/child.
Parent does not talk about the baby. If the parent does talk about the infant, he or she may do so in a negative way. For example, may refer to the baby as “it.”
Parent does not nurture the infant while feeding, and may prop bottle during feedings.
Parent ignores the infant and fails to respond to his or her needs.
Parent does not respond to infant cues in appropriate ways.
Parent expresses negative feelings about caring for the infant.
What Home Visitors Can Do If home visitors notice that parents are having difficulty
engaging in positive interactions with their infant, they can
do a number of things:
Attempt to educate parents about the importance of
engaging in positive interactions with their infant.
Explain how children learn to trust and how early
relationships impact brain development.
Help parents become more sensitive to an infant’s
cues and needs.
Provide parents with information or handouts that
explain what various cues may mean.
What Home Visitors Can Do Home visitors can also discuss the ways in which
caregiver’s themselves were parented.
Discussions of this nature may help parents change their
ideas and mental representations of what it means to
parent.
Home visitors can supply parents with toys and attempt to
engage them in parent-child activities.
They can model or demonstrate ideas that are ideal for
bonding and building the relationship.
Finally, they can provide parents with ideas about how
they can create a nurturing environment for their
infant/child.
How to Create a Nurturing Environment Since children learn to trust through repeated and
consistent responses on the part of their caregiver, one
way parents can provide a nurturing environment is by
creating a predictable world with routine. This will help
children anticipate their parent’s response, thus letting
them know they will be safe and protected.
Scientists believe the most important factor in creating
attachment is positive physical contact such as hugging,
holding, and rocking.
Therefore, a second way parents can
provide a nurturing environment for their
children is by talking, singing, and
reading to their baby/child.
How to Create a Nurturing Environment Parents can also nurture their
infant/child by holding them close.
They can praise the infant/child for his/her accomplishments. This will help build their self-esteem and confidence.
Parents can also provide infants/children with age appropriate toys. Play is an important and integral part of child development because it allows children to explore and it stimulates brain activity.
Finally, parents can child proof their homes to ensure their child’s safety.
Tips for Modeling
Always remember that modeling is one of the easiest ways
for home visitors to demonstrate behaviors that are ideal
for bonding. When modeling for parents:
Avoid being the expert by including parents in parent-
child activities
Build on a parent’s strengths
Recognize all positive steps and accomplishments
Maintain dialogue with parents about the developmental
meaning of the infant’s/child’s actions
Involve the parent so that he/she may become more
than a passive observer.