The Behavior Modification Helps A Child With Separation Anxiety Behaviors And A Company Owner

Separation anxiety is very common as children grow and develop. They may fear those few moments during daycare drop-off or that initial first meeting with a new babysitter. These children will often times grow out of this anxiety after they become familiar with their surroundings and caregivers. But, if they continue having these separation anxiety induced outbursts, even after they have been with a trusted caregiver for a time, parents and primary caregivers often worry about the well-being of their child and their child’s development. They may believe that their child has acquired a Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD). I selected this topic because I work with multiple toddlers in a center and their parents have expressed some minor worry towards whether or not their child suffers with SAD or if this anxiety is causing them delays. I would love to be able to know some minor details about this broad topic and refer them to the website and articles that I found helpful when writing this report. This topic is important because it is has many symptoms that are similar to regular and developmentally appropriate separation anxiety. When a child suffers from SAD, it is something that needs attention by a pediatric professional in order for it not to affect the child later in life.

ABA is a scientific process of examining what causes and maintains behaviour, in order to bring about positive change.

Ainsworth (1978) developed the Strange Situation Theory, which is how one is able to view the different levels of attachment (Groh, Roisman, Booth-LaForce, Flaley, Owen, Cox, & Burchinal, 2014). The first attachment is secure attachment, which is when a child is able to greet and seek out contact with the caregiver upon arrival after a stressful separation (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The next is anxious-avoidant/resistant (insecure) attachment, when the child has no want to contact with the caregiver while showing signs of resistance upon the return (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The last and the most crucial to child development is disoriented/ disorganized attachment; conflicting responses from the child which show hostile and aggressive behavior toward the caregiver (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). All of these attachements show the different types of ways that a child can communicate with their caregiver. These actions are the representations of their early attachment and experiences with the caregiver (Siebert & Kerns, 2015). If there are no changes toward the environment, the attention

When a child is removed from their home at a young age, the consequences can be more severe. During the ages three and four it is not good for a child to be moved but if they do get moved it is good to have a strong bond with their caregivers. If they get moved repeatedly, it makes their attachment issues more sever. Attachment issues create the following troubles such as; poor eye contact, antisocial, problems with learning and lack of physical affection. Theses are not abnormal for a child with theses issues(“Attachment”). There are two different types of attachment issues and they are the one that babies have which is insecure attachment and for older children it is also called Reactive Attachment Disorder. An infant with this disorder may not smile , or coo or make any sounds , or even does not reach out for you to hold them , they may also reject your affection like trying to soothe

Today, the exact cause of Separation Anxiety Disorder is unknown (According to an article by Psychology Today). Although the exact cause is unknown, we do know of some risk factors. According to various articles, kids that come from very united families are more likely to develop SAD if separation from a parent occurs or a traumatic event such as, physical assault occurs. Boston Children’s Hospital says that, “…a child can also inherit that parent’s anxiety…” and that “…anxiety may be learned from family members and others who are noticeably stressed or anxious around a child.” Those are only some ways a kid might end up developing SAD. Various articles also suggest that a factor that seems to be common in kids with Separation Anxiety

If anxiety levels rise in these problems, psychiatric, medical, or social dysfunction may develop (Kerr, 2000). In impairment of one or more children problems, according to Kerr (2000), the spouses focus their anxieties on one or more of their children and the children focus their anxiety on them which can ultimately impair school performance, social relationships, and even health (Kerr, 2000). In emotional distance problems, according to Kerr (2000), people distances themselves from others to reduce the intensity of the relationship, but risk isolation from each other. The fourth concept of this theory is the family projection process. This concept describes the primary way parents transmit their emotional problems to a child (Kerr, 2000). This process can impair the functioning of one or more children and can increase their clinical symptoms. Some problems that children inherit from their parents include the need for attention and approval; difficulty dealing with expectations; the tendency to blame oneself or others; feeling responsible for the happiness of others or that others are responsible for one’s own happiness; and acting impulsively to relieve the anxiety of the moment rather than tolerating anxiety and acting thoughtfully (Kerr, 2000). Parents have different roles in this process: mothers are the primary caretakers and experience more emotional involvement with one or

Since Skinner’s time there has been much research done and many new techniques made in ABA especially in regards of teaching people how to increase behaviors associated with learning and decreasing those that may inhibit learning. These new techniques have been used to help successfully treat or improve the lives of several people with various degrees and types of disabilities and learning disorders. These techniques have been adapted from being used exclusively on adults and modified for children. These techniques can be formally initiated, meaning that they are done in a classroom or a behavioral analysts’ office, or they can be taught to parents or caretakers and are often used to develop skills such as learning theory of mind, eye contact, social skills, and other necessary skills (Renna, 2004).

Twelve months before attending the agency the client began to demonstrate increasing levels of anxiety. This anxiety commenced with significant difficulties being separated from his mother or father at home, to go to school, stay with family and play with friends. The parents said the client’s behaviours included clinging on to them and chasing after them as they were leaving the house or school. He would also check their location in the house to confirm that they were still there. On occasion his behaviour deteriorated into tantrums, although this only happened at home. The parents also expressed concern that the boy’s teacher noticed he was refusing to eat at school. The parents also reported their child was unable to get to sleep without their presence. He would awaken with nightmares at least three times a week saying he was frightened something bad was happening to them. The parents stated that it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to manage their son’s behaviour.

Behavior analysts should describe these in detail to the clients, as their cooperation is important for the success of the program. If a behavior analyst is working with an in-home client, she should describe to the client and caregivers the importance of delivering reinforcers consistently and appropriately. She would also have to review safety considerations and stress accurate recording of data by the caregivers. The behavior analyst may be able to better control the environment of an in-home client compared to the environment of a client in a public school. When discussing control of the environment with those involved with a client in a public school, the behavior analyst will need to have the cooperation of everyone involved with the child’s treatment (e.g. teachers, teacher aids, counselors). It may be more difficult for the behavior analyst to determine effective reinforcers of control those reinforcers in a public-school setting. It may also be challenging to obtain resources for the treatment program in such a

An Article States those children with separated parents tend to become insecure with other children that cause younger to experience bedwetting disobedience etc. can all occur. Further, children who experience parental separation at an early age might bring a lot more effects in the near future as they encounter life circumstances wherein they need the assistance of both

He examined distress experienced by infants who had been separated from their mothers / parents, which is commonly known as separation anxiety. He noted that infants would express intense emotional and physical signs or actions, such as crying, clinging, and frantic searching for comfort. The purpose of these actions would be to either prevent separation from their parents or reestablish closeness to a missing parent.

The bond that a child and their parents or caregivers form plays a vital role in the child’s life. Studies were performed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth to observe the effects that maternal separation had on the child’s development. The hypothesis they formed based off their observations became known as the attachment theory. The attachment theory came about on the core principle that “children brought up with consistent, loving parents or significant, reliable caregivers can develop a foundation of trust and attachment and can grow up to be well-adjusted adults who are capable of forming trusting and loving relationships.” (Bigner, 2014, p. 50-51) However, if this foundation is missing it can cause problems, such as separation anxiety, to manifest within the child. This bond is particularly important the first two years after a child is born. Bowlby and Ainsworth stated that the nurturing and care should be provided from the child’s main care taker which is commonly the mother. (Bigner, 2014, p. 51)

For example, when my cousin was an infant she would cry constantly if she weren’t around her father. This went well over into her elementary and middle school days. Resulting in her father being the parent taking and picking her up from school daily, helping with homework and attending school functions. I can now say with certainty, this was a form of separation anxiety. Thankfully she grew out of it when she began high school and is now a happy freshman in college far away from her parents.

One of the constant battles was his dislike of saying goodbye to those who were leaving the house, whether it happened to be his father, his grandfather, his great-grandparents, or a randomly selected new friend who had come by for a visit. Psychologists call this clinging behavior "separation anxiety," and it can hit at almost any age from one to four years. My first experiences with separation anxiety came from keeping the nursery at my church. I was always startled when a child who had always loved being with me suddenly began to latch on to parents, refusing to let them leave in any peaceful fashion. Instead, I would have to manually separate the two and then spend the next ten minutes trying to distract and redirect the distraught toddler toward other adventures. Sometimes I was successful; at other times, I spent the entire hour coping with a fussy, inconsolable little one until my nerves were more frayed than the bottom of a teenager's old jeans. From this experience, I had developed my own special box of tricks. I began by walking the floor and calling attention to all of the pictures on the walls. I followed this by reading a book while bouncing the child on my knee or rocking. If the screams could still be heard through the insulated walls of my classroom, I tried singing the silliest songs I knew in an overly loud voice. Sometimes I think this worked because the child realized that if he or she stopped crying, I just might stop singing. If these actions failed to convince the child to cease and desist, I plopped into the floor with the sweet darling in tow and systematically pulled the strings and punched the buttons on every battery operated sound-making toy in the vicinity. By this time, one of us was so tired that he or she achieved the victory. I considered myself the winner if my little bundle of joy either

This type of attachment is relatively uncommon, found in only 10% of children (Golde, 2014). High levels of distress upon separation often signify that the bond between an adult and infant is lacking in certain areas. The mother is seen by the social worker to be failing to respond to the toddler’s needs; resulting in the toddler becoming highly distressed. Through this view, it is evident that the social worker had good reason to question the toddler’s attachment with his mother. However, there are several other factors outside of the mother’s control that could be influencing the toddler’s development that needs to be considered.