Discusses the major theorists of infant/toddler emotional development. Lists behavioral warning signs of infant/toddler emotional distress or mental health problems. Describes methods for fostering babies' mental health and reducing their stress, and caregiver behaviors that promote infant mental health. (BB)

Theraplay, modeled on the natural, playful patterns of healthy interaction between parent and child, produces remarkable change in a short time for troubled families. It achieves its success by aggressively addressing four serious problems that prevent the development of the secure attachment relationship essential to healthy development: (1)…

The paper presents a literature-based comparison of psychodynamic and behavioral approaches in the management of aggression in children. The section on psychodynamic approaches discusses the work of August Aichhorn, Fritz Redl, Nicholas Long, and William Glasser, in addition to discussions of life space interviewing and the importance of the…

The author provides parents with information and suggestions about ways to alleviate strains placed on the natural attachment (bonding) process when their child has a hearing impairment. Strategies to foster the child's communicative and behavioral development are presented and the roles of parental responsivity, letting go, and fathers are…

Summaries of four studies in child psychology reveal that children's attachment to caregivers depends on physical contact more than food; secure attachment to loving caregivers provides a base from which children explore and learn; children's separation behaviors reveal much about their attachment relationship; and children are born with traits…

This article presents an early intervention model for infants who are deaf-blind that focuses on the significance of infant-caregiver interaction. It proposes intervention strategies to develop contingent responsiveness in caregivers, promote active learning in infants, support mutually satisfying exchanges, and address the exceptional learning…

Discusses ways that day-care homes and child care centers can manipulate the design and ambiance of their facilities in ways that will encourage parents to spend time and interact with their children in the day-care setting. (HTH)

One way to ease the transition of attachment and separation is through art. Creating a transitional object in the classroom to send home with the children effectively reinforces the importance of the relationship between the child and teacher or provider. Art also helps young children to express feelings, improve motor skills, solve problems, and…

Notes that attachment behavior in infants is a facet of normal child development, and that children with attachment problems require special attention during and after the adoption process. Presents actions needed to increase the probability that such children can be successfully adopted, detailed attachment patterns, and parenting strategies and…

This article addresses issues in parent-child attachment, identifies the implications such attachment relations have for child development, and provides strategies to facilitate optimal parent-child attachment. Strategies for early child educators include speaking up and helping if awkward attachment relations are sensed and honoring and affirming…

Noting that parenting a toddler can be both exhilarating and frustrating, this book draws on lifelong research into children's emotional development to provide parents with a better understanding of toddlers' emotional range and how it affects toddler behavior. The 10 chapters and the conclusion cover the following areas: (1) the emotional…

Although permanency planning has been a central focus of child welfare practice since the passage of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act in 1980, new requirements of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 encourage concurrent planning on reunification and another alternative such as adoption. This guide is intended to assist child…

Caring for infants and toddlers has long been conceptualized in Western society as mothers' work, and consequently devalued. Alternative care for infants and toddlers has lacked a knowledge base like that undergirding preschool education. Factors impeding research on infant/toddler care include strong ideological opposition to nonmaternal care,…

Discusses the benefits of attachment parenting, which emphasizes parental commitment, a low-stress pregnancy, childbirth preparation, breast-feeding with child-led weaning, prompt response to the baby's crying, flexible sleeping arrangements, close-knit father-mother-baby functioning, and the avoidance of detachment parenting. Attachment parenting…

Readiness to learn is a constant state. Two critical aspects of early childhood provide parents sufficient understanding of their child's development: attachment and brain development. Children develop attachments to caregivers but need consistent parental care and love. Human brains continue to quickly grow during the first two years of life.…