Approximately 30% of children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems. A systematic research synthesis of empirical studies was conducted in an attempt to identify and classify therapeutic interventions for foster children. Utilizing a treatment protocol classification system, empirical studies were classified…

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…

Reviewed are studies of attachment, separation anxiety, and caregiver intervention techniques and strategies. Discussion of attachment centers on patterns of attachment and children's behavior in the "strange situation." Discussion of separation anxiety indicates that the phenomenon occurs in many different cultures. Topics covered include: (1)…

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)

Emotional maltreatment tends to be overshadowed in research and in practice by other forms of maltreatment that present more obvious and explicit evidence and appear to require a more urgent response. This article aims to explore a growing body of research pointing to: (a) ways in which emotional maltreatment may adversely impact upon a child's…

Literature is reviewed on the topic of blindisms and their possible causes. Studies indicate that the lack of blindisms among Black African blind children is related to the close mother-child contact and the interaction among the extended family unit. Strategies for preventing blindisms are offered. (Author/JDD)

Examined the effects of a sensitivity intervention program on the Parenting by lower-class mothers of irritable infants. Found that intervention group mothers were significantly more responsive, stimulating, visually attentive, and controlling of their infant's behavior than were control-group mothers. Intervention infants had higher scores than…

Research on the effectiveness of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) in enhancing the mother-newborn relationship has had inconsistent results. A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an NBAS intervention with a high-risk mother group. The study focused on low-income, drug-using mothers, measuring the effectiveness of the…

This paper applies a developmental structuralist approach to the classification of adaptive and pathologic personality organizations and behavior in infancy and early childhood, and it discusses implications of this approach for preventive intervention. In general, as development proceeds, the structural capacity of the developing infant and child…

This paper describes the program of a special school in British Columbia for youth with behavior disorders and either learning disabilities or intellectual impairments. Program components (behavior therapy, activity-based learning, and attachment development) and program sequence (assessment, formulation and implementation of a Growth and…

Examined the relationships between parental stress and the security of attachment relationships. Subjects were 33 mothers of children who were attending a preschool program for high-risk families. Found a negative relationship between the Child Domain section of the Parenting Stress Index and Attachment Q-set scores. Results highlighted the need…

Infants of depressed mothers who were visited at home outperformed infants of depressed mothers who received no intervention services by an average of 10 points on the Bayley Mental Scale and were twice as likely to be classified as securely attached. Unserved, high-risk infants showed a high rate of insecure-disorganized attachments. (RH)

Of a group of 67 low-income first-time fathers-to-be, half were randomly assigned during the second trimester of pregnancy to participate in an intervention program designed to acquaint them with information, insights, and clinically appropriate techniques of responsive care for infants. Fathers were videotaped in feeding interactions with infants…

This article describes the Pride in Parenting Group Intervention Curriculum, developed as part of a multicomponent intervention with a population of indigent African American women and their infants. Exit interviews with 57 mothers indicated parent satisfaction was high for developmental and parenting information and for the support of the group…

This paper summarizes the proceedings of a 1999 symposium on mental health in infants and toddlers, particularly the role of attachment, held at the University of Minnesota. Presentations by Kathryn Barnard of the University of Washington and Anne Gearity of the University of Minnesota are included. Following an introduction and conference…