The Between Seven And 11 Months Of Age

“All children, at the core of their beings, need to be attached to someone who considers them to be very special and who is committed to providing for their ongoing care.” In this very first sentence Daniel Hughes expresses the importance of attachment in children in order for them to live rich and fulfilling lives. He outlines the issues surrounding the poorly attached child (particularly foster and adopted children) and shows how it is possible, using specific therapeutic interventions, to help them to “heal and grow”.

Next on the continuum of attachment styles, the insecure-anxious-ambivalent child displays an extreme reaction of distress to their caregiver’s departure and a slight inclination to explore. (Connors, 2011) Upon the return of their parent or caregiver, this child is not comforted and physically resists contact. Noted by Ainsworth in her “Strange Situation”, this child’s “interactive behaviors are relatively lacking in active initiation” (Ainsworth et al., 1978), meaning the child, seeking validation, might respond to the return of their parent but this generally includes emotional outbursts instead of taking an active approach to their parent. The insecure-avoidant pattern of attachment displays an infant who lacks a secure base and fails to respond to both the departure and return of their primary caregiver. (Ainsworth et al., 1978), Further, the “Strange Situation” displayed this child as turning away or “squirming” when contact was reestablished between child and caregiver (Connors, 2011). Finally, the later addition of the attachment pattern insecure-disorganized explains children who demonstrate a mixture of attachment behaviors. This child often responds to their caregiver with opposing actions, such as approach-avoidance, and displays a degree of fear associated with that caregiver; it is theorized that there is a direct correlation between abused children and this particular

' (Haith, 2014b, p. 466) Although a secure attachment does not occur from birth, ‘babies show signs of attachment through smiling, eye contact and crying. ' (Brandon et al., 2015) This shows the child 's main caregiver needs to begin to bond with their child for them to form a secure attachment. Bowlby believed ‘caregivers who neglect their children, bring up avoidant children. ' (Larose, & Bernier, 2001, p. 96-120). ‘Ambivalent/resistant children show negative behaviours to gain attention from others. ' (Kobak et al., 1993, p. 231-245) These statements show children who have an insecure attachment with their caregiver have a risk in behaviour problems. They will also have a less chance of developing their social and emotional skills effectively.

A child should have the ability to have secure and nurturing attachments that offer emotional warmth and security from a care giver. This will offer security and safety to the young person. As well as secure attachments, the young person will benefit from having positive relationships with wider family and friends, these relationships can have a huge impact on the young person’s self-esteem. The young person should live in an environment that is

Because of this, my purpose in research will be to explore the long term effects on foster and adopted children, and whether secure attachment to a primary caregiver provides an environment that allows for emotional healing from traumatic events and their effects.

As implied by many physiologist a child’s attachments style is the building blocks to his or her mental development. A child like a structure is sure to crumble if there is a crack in their foundation. Foster children have the potential to stand tall or crumble due to neglect. Attachment styles tend to vary in foster children since they bounce from home to home. In this paper I will discuss the attachment styles foster children share with both their biological and foster parents, as well as the foster child’s potential outcome due to these styles. In order for children to develop

The most significant bond of life is between the infant and primary caregiver. John Bowlby, the eminent authority, describes attachment as the natural connection between baby and mother (as cited in Alexander, 1992, p.186). Family dynamics have changed since Bowlby’s time, for this reason, the research analyzes the relationship of the infant and primary caregiver. Bowlby’s attachment theory infers that the path of these bonds lay the groundwork for future behavior, view of one’s self, and relationship with others (Colonnesi et al., 2011). Research on abuse and neglect of infants and it’s correlation to insecure attachment and the type of insecure attachment is vital to set up an early intervention protocol.

attachment parent in times of distress (Main, & Cassidy, 1988). The avoidant type of infant resist

The majority of developmental theories say that children must develop a secure primary attachment in order to develop in a healthy manner. A secure and strong attachment is clearly essential for healthy future relationships. John Bowlby’s studies in childhood development led him to the conclusion that a strong attachment to a caregiver provides a necessary sense of security and foundation. Without such a relationship in place, Bowlby found that a great deal of developmental energy is expended in the search for stability and security. In general, those without such attachments are fearful and are less willing to seek out and learn from new

Young children need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver in order for their social and emotional development to occur normally. Without this attachment, they will suffer serious psychological and social impairment. During the first two years, how the parents or caregivers respond to their infants, particularly during times of distress, establishes the types of patterns of attachment their children form. These patterns will go on to guide the child’s feelings, thoughts and expectations as an adult in future

In this day and age, multiple interventions are being implemented in order to address the various attachment-related problems that infants and young children experience due to the separation from their caregivers. It was previously mentioned that there was a new area of speciality called infant mental health which has a particular take on attachment between a caregiver and child. They mainly focus on analyzing the support that these children have available to them such as family, social, and emotional. One of their primary focuses for intervention is infant-parent psychotherapy in which the emotional exploration of the parent toward the child is done in the room with the child (Weatherston 2000, 4). Infant mental health specialist might be useful to both foster parents and the children, however, it is mainly aimed at women who are having either postpartum depression, an emotional reaction due to previous pregnancy trauma, or even premature children. There are only a few micro related interventions, therapy is the most popular form. Children develop trauma and PTSD like symptoms due to the separation(s) they experience at a young age. There is a big emphasis put on caregivers being aware of PTSD symptoms so that the child can be linked to the appropriate treatment resources which are the first steps in helping the child to manage and cope with their symptoms (Hieger 2012, 3). In therapy there are two main evidence base treatments that are useful for traumatized children.

Children should not be frequently moved in foster care and should have consistent caregivers before being adopted by a family. Moving around amongst different caregivers can cause problems with children’s brain development, stunted growth, and long-term mental and emotional problems (Hamilton, 2014). These children are in desperate need of attention after being neglected during their early ages of childhood (Hamilton, 2014). Children in foster care and orphanages need to build an emotional and physical attachment to someone, like a parent, because parents play a crucial role in a child’s brain development (Hamilton, 2014).

These children don’t seem to feel much emotion when they’re caregivers is gone or when they return they tend to ignore them. This style of attachment may cause the individual’s self-fulfillment to drive them away because avoidant children make people angry due to their rejection issues. As they grow older they might be cold and distant from people and may continue to be this way with any relationships they can have in the future. Finally secure children, which are known to have the luckiest style of attachment because their caregivers give them affection, and love, which causes confidence between the child and the caregiver. The secure attachment causes children to be loved by their parents and peers.

Childhood trauma of mother. The internal model of attachment in the birth mother as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview is correlated with the identified security of attachment in the infant (Main, Kaplan, Cassidy, 1985; Posada, Waters, Crowell, & Lay, 1995; van IJzendoorn, 1995). Issues of unresolved loss and trauma, that are translated into frightened or frightening parental behavior in the caregiver-infant dyad, are of most concern (Carlson, 1998; Main & Hesse, 1990; van IJzendoorn, Schuengel, & Bakersman, 1999). These tend to lead to disoriented and/or disorganized attachment. Contextual and environmental factors. The caregiving system established by the dyadic relationship is affected by other demands on the caregiver (Solomon

When a child is securely attached, they show signs of courage to explore new experiences while their attached person is around, they go to their attached person when they are injured, they easily agree to what is asked of them, and they do not try to take control over their attached person (Appleyard and Berlin). A caregiver’s