The Developmental Period Of Toddlerhood

The representations of attachment disorder in children include such thoughts as: “I am bad and unlovable,” “my caregiver will not protect me from traumatic experiences,” and I am not able to get my caregiver to “respond consistently to my needs”. These children view their caregivers as unreliable, unresponsive, rejecting, and threatening. They should be responded to with empathy and calm as a means to reduce their arousal, as opposed to anger and discipline which can heighten the adverse physiological and behavioral outcomes the child is experiencing.

Reactive Attachment Disorder is a common infancy/early childhood disorder. Reactive attachment disorder is located under the trauma- and stressors-related disorder section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Fifth Edition. It is normally diagnosed when an infant or child experience expresses a minimal attachment to a figure for nurturance, comfort, support, and protection. Although children diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder have the ability to select their attachment figure, they fail to show behavioral manifestation because they had limited access during the early developmental stage. Some disturbed behaviors include diminished or absence of positive emotions toward caregiver. In addition,

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) was first introduced just over 20 years ago, with the publication of DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). In the DSM-IV. The disorder is defined by aberrant social behavior that appears in early childhood and is evident cross contextually(1994). The disorder describes aberrant social behaviors in young children that are believed to derive from being reared in caregiving environments lacking species-typical nurturance and stimulation, such as in instances such as maltreatment or institutional rearing. (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010) . In cases of RAD two major types of abnormalities have been cited; these include an emotionally withdrawn/inhibited type and an indiscriminately social/disinhibited pattern (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010).Conditions in in foreign orphanages and institutions such as, multiple caregivers, maltreatment, abuse, neglect, and others contribute to the inability for internationally adopted children to form secure attachments. All of these factors contribute to internationally adopted children being at a higher risk to develop attachment disorders such as RAD and other behavioral problems.

The costs of this expansion will mostly go toward labor, as labor is the single largest component of costs for early infant and toddler care centers (Marshall et al., 2004). For teachers to stay invested in the children they teach and care for, they must be fairly compensated to maintain the high quality of care. According to a study in Massachusetts, 72 percent of typical full-time, full-year center expenditures go toward labor (Marshall, et al., 2004). In dollar amounts, “average expenditures per child care hour were $4.42 for centers serving infants and $4.28 for centers serving toddlers. These correspond to full-time care expenditures of $10,343 and $10,015 for the two groups of centers [infants and toddlers, respectively]”

I observed Harper, a 23 month old little girl that is full of energy. Also participating in the interaction with Harper was her mother and five year old sister, Mya. Harper is very friendly and outgoing. She is very interested “reading books” and loves to be read to. She enjoys helping her mother clean and do simple tasks. She seems to be very confident with and without her mother in her sight. Harper’s father is not actively involved in her life because he lives in another state.

Treatment strategies are not as well established for disorganized attachment as they are with other attachments. However, there is a critical need to develop these strategies as this particular population struggles immensely with issues such as self-regulation, the development and maintenance of relationships, as well as many other conditions that affect their daily lives. An important and critical time for treatment is during early childhood, as the longer a person struggles with disorganized attachment, the more difficult it is to treat and correct that attachment. There are a number of different treatments that may be utilized, and researchers are in the process of determining their effectiveness. There have been some case studies that have discussed the potential for individual therapies that have a focus on both emotional regulation and the growth of relational abilities through non-directive play according to Zilberstein (2010, p.89) Other studies have instead choose to focus on the changes that are elicited through the basic parent-child

Reactive attachment disorder manifests before the age of five and affects how a child is able to attach to their guardians, teachers, friends, authority figures, and any other person in their lives. There are two recognized types of reactive attachment disorder. The inhibited type and the disinhibited type (Rhodes, 2016). The inhibited type is “emotionally withdrawn” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). They do not initiate social relations or respond developmentally appropriately. The disinhibited type could also be called “indiscriminate” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). They will look for comfort or interaction from strangers or caregivers indiscriminately. They can also be “described as shallow and attention seeking” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). Some of the symptoms of reactive attachment disorder, or RAD, could stem from other disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. “Children with RAD may lack empathy, may intentionally harm themselves or others, and may be hypervigilant. Children with RAD have also been observed to exhibit impulsive and self-endangering behaviors. They may generally struggle with emotional and behavioral regulation. Children diagnosed with RAD may have related issues stemming from abuse and neglect that are not part of RAD that also need professional attention. These include unattended medical conditions, as well as trouble with speech or language” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). Some sources also include trouble understanding cause and effect as well as a problem with

Infant’s interactions with their caregivers is an important part of the infancy stage. During this stage the attachments that are developed can determined the child’s attachments in the future. Some children do not form appropriate attachments in their infancy which may cause issues down the road. One of the clinical problems that failed attachments can cause is Reactive Attachment disorder. In the book The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog the author Bruce D. Perry talks about a boy, James, whom is diagnosed with this disorder. Reactive attachment disorder is defined, James story was told, and things that can be learned from children that are ill. James story can be used as a teaching tool for those diagnosing or treating patients with reactive

Abstract: Children entering into the foster care system more than likely have been neglected or abused. This paper will detail a common disorder associated with foster children. Attachment Disorder (AD) is not commonly discussed before placement, however it becomes obvious within the first two months of placement. A myriad of signs or symptoms can be related to AD and there is debatable literature and discussion regarding the validity of this disorder. This paper will also discuss the difference between AD and RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). The goal of this paper is to inform potential foster families of behavioral difficulties and the assistance that is available.

Bayless, Kate. "Reactive Attachment Disorder and Adoption." Parents. Parents, 11 June 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. " when a child is angry she will not seek comfort from caregiver and may respond negatively to warm that is given

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.

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.

Facilitating Developmental Attachment by Daniel A Hughes is an in depth look at the work of Dr Hughes, a clinical psychologist who specialises in child abuse and neglect, attachment and works with children in foster care or adoption. Hughes discusses every facet of his practice including the theory and research surrounding attachment, the qualities and expectations required by each of the people involved in the therapeutic process as well as including four case studies. Hughes states the book is written for those working with children who have “…severe forms of attachment problems that correspond to

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“As infants grows older, they form close and enduring emotional attachments with the important people in their lives”. Reference 1. This essay will discuss the developmental period of infancy. Infancy is categorised as the development stage of a human from birth to 2 years of age. Infancy is a time in the human life that involves rapid growth and extraordinary changes in the first two years of life. Infants not only grow dramatically physically, their brains develop, and there is the start of locomotor skill development as well as the start of reflexes and sensory growth. The essay will also discuss anxiety and the role it plays with infants in regards to physical, cognitive and psychosocial stages an infant experiences. This essay will argue that the attachment of an infant to its mother is highly important. It will discuss the different way in which attachment affects an infant. This essay will discuss typical development milsetones in the first year years of human life. It will then go to analysis the relationship between infants being in day care or at home with their mother. T The typical physical development of a babys starts at borth. When a Baby is born on average it will weigh 3.4 kilograms and measure to be around 51 centimeters. A baby is typically 25 percent of its final adult weight when it is born but by its