The ability to form secure attachments during early childhood promotes a lifetime of emotional health. This article describes emotional milestones for babies (i.e., activities that promote self-comfort and self-control), as well as for toddlers. In the case of toddlers, a profound emotional milestone that is accomplished during the first year is…

The translation of research into practice in social care is long on theory and short on practical examples. We describe a pilot project, which identified an important practice issue--the promotion of positive attachment in early infancy--explored the evidence base, summarised the findings, and devised an implementation process. The site of the…

Children grow and develop through a process called attachment. Attachment is a fundamental framework for human development. It requires that a child be emotionally connected to at least one adult caregiver who can provide an enduring, nurturing relationship that provides the safety and structure necessary for a child to feel a secure base.…

This study examined both continuity and familial, intrapsychic, and environmental predictors of change in adolescent attachment security across a 2-year period from middle to late adolescence. Assessments included the Adult Attachment Interview, observed mother-adolescent interactions, test-based data, and adolescent self-reports obtained from an…

The author describes recent findings on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in perceptions of risk and safety. The term "Neuroception" describes how neural circuits distinguish whether situations or people are safe, dangerous, or life threatening. Neuroception explains why a baby coos at a caregiver but cries at a stranger, or why a…

This article presents a case study of two brothers' protracted journey through the foster care system, and highlights the numerous challenges they face in their ability to form strong, healthy attachments to significant caregivers. Commentary from a clinical supervisor reveals how the professionals who are working with children in foster…

This book describes attachment theory, presents the attachment therapy program in place at the Evergreen Attachment Center at Evergreen, Colorado, and examines the implications of attachment therapy. The chapters are: (1) "An Overview" (Carole A. McKelvey, John Alston); (2) "Attachment Theory and Assessment" (Michael Orlans,…

This unit has been designed as a means of sensitizing class members to various forms of social discrimination that exist against homosexuals. Each lesson can be adapted to a fifty minute class period; the steps indicate transitions in topic development, the key questions are recommended as guidelines for facilitating class discussion. Students…

Many child sexual abuse victims are unwilling or unable to disclose what happened. A case history is presented of a 6-year-old who denied any occurrence of sexual abuse. The girl's sexual acting out was treated by having the child write letters to a fictional child who had been similarly abused. (JDD)

Nine women imprisoned for fatal child maltreatment were interviewed concerning their perceptions of interactions with their children, pregnancy and childbirth, mother-child separations and reunions, child development, rejection, children's behavior, and prior child abuse. Interpretation of their children as developmentally abnormal and…

Three sources of success inhibition are discussed as contributing to problems of success avoidance in a university population. Cases are presented to document these and a series of stages is described leading to the resolution of success inhibition. (JMF)

Describes child and human development as an eco-cultural project. Focuses particular attention to early development of trust and attachment relationships and the age 5-to-7 transition, wherein cultural goals and psychological well-being are achieved despite limited resources and socioeconomic constraints. (JPB)

The implications of attachment theory for clinical work with maltreated children are examined in the context of the therapeutic relationship. The article describes therapeutic strategies in which the clinician intervenes to enable the child to modify negative and pessimistic beliefs and expectations of others and of self. (Author/DB)

The unexpected loss of a loved one, a car accident, or exposure to a violent experience is familiar to many. Everyone reacts to such events, but the responses vary widely, ranging from numbness and withdrawal, to crying, nervousness, and agitation. Because traumatic events are prevalent, cause profound suffering, and may lead to life altering…

A study of 41 toddlers (ages 18-25 months) with hearing impairments and their hearing mothers and 54 typical toddlers and their hearing mothers, investigated whether the development of a normal mother-child relationship is disrupted by the inability of the child to understand his/her mother's normal means of communication. The study also explored…