Chapter 3: Attachment, Trust & Parenting CD 11 Dr. Gallegos Fall 2016

Learning Outcomes: In this Chapter you will learn to… –Explain how attachment & trust are related –Describe how attachment occurs –Identify behaviors indicating that babies are attached to their parents –Describe obstacles to attachment –Explain how babies learn to cope with feelings of loss –Describe varying patterns –Explain how to judge attachment in a cross-cultural situation –Identify factors that relate to child care and attachment

Attachment Attachment is a lifelong process that starts in the 1 st year of life and carries through the life span. The positive nurturing experiences associated with attachment produce hormones called neurotransmitters that give the infant a sense of well-being. This sense of well-being reinforces certain pathways in the brain which leads to mental growth. Children who lack or have no attachment lack a sense of security and experiences which has a detrimental effect on the brain’s development. American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that parents keep babies under the age of 2 away from the t.v. and just interact with them instead. Those interactions are likely to result in stronger, healthier attachment. The responsiveness to the baby is vital to the interactions. (Science Bulletins: Attachment Theory— Understanding the Essential Bond)

Growth of Attachment and Trust The basis of healthy care and education is social-emotional development and the basis of the at is attachment, which comes from a sync relationship. Attachment patterns are related to parental values and goals. Attachment is vital. Here is a online test to see your attachment in a romantic relationship – Relationshipshttp://psychology.about.com/qz/How-Do-You-Behave-in-Romantic- Relationships

Trust Trust is a lifelong issue for all of us. The need to repair or have closure to a trust issue is important to face. A healthy attachment is one way to get children through hard times in their lives with less damage to their brain development and therefore to their social-emotional and cognitive development.

How Secondary Attachments Occur It is important to never look down on parents, you need to be supportive. You are not in competition with the family for the child’s affection. Be professional at all times (warm and caring to all) The child’s attachment to the family is and should be a lot closer than your attachment to the child. Your attachment is only temporary.

Attachment Behaviors Signs of attachment in Parents The feeling of importance. Interest in world events because you want the world to be a safe place for your child. Baby names are a way of showing the child is an individual. Attachment behaviors may look different in other cultures, do not judge. (Children's Attachment Theory and How to Use it)

Obstacles to Attachment Optimum attachment often starts before the baby is born. A bond has been established by the family. Being unhappy of being pregnant Father may not be in the picture The unknown of the child can be tough, that’s why the gender is disclosed to help with the attachment process. Birth might be complicated Adoption/foster care Illnesses

Temperament and Attachment Temperament between adult and infant can vary. Easy Slow to warm Difficult VS. Fearful Flexible Fiesty

(Cont.) Temperament and Attachment Parents who do not have children whose temperaments don’t match their own have to adjust their expectations, accept their babies as is, and learn to understand them.

Developmental Differences Babies who are born with developmental differences may not have the attachment behaviors that draw adults to them.

Learning to Cope with Feelings of Loss The skills for dealing with separation begin to develop in infancy One common separation infants experience is being placed in their cribs. Some cultures value sleeping alone and others don’t Many babies comfort themselves while alone in the crib by developing an attachment to a particular object. This demonstrates in some cultures, coping skills.

Varying Attachment Patterns Bowlby and Ainsworth’s Research Bowlby was the first to apply humans the idea that attachment behaviors evolved because they promote survival. –He took a psychoanalytic view that attachment of infant to caregiver affects an infant’s sense of security and ability to trust. – (Ainsworth Strange Situation)

(Cont.) Varying Attachment Patterns Ainsworth was a student of Bowlby’s, she came up with different types of attachment. –If the baby is securely attached, the child uses the mother as a base to move out from and explore the interesting toys in the room. –With insecure attached infants they show what’s called avoidant attachment, resistant attachment, or disorganized/disoriented attachment. –With Ainsworth research, as a teacher, you cannot be judge mental or label attachments in families you work with.

(Cont.) Varying Attachment Patterns –Resistant attachment infants stay close to the mother before she leaves and di little exploration in a strange place. –Avoidant attachment shows when babies act the same around the stranger as they do around the mother. They seem not to care when the mother leaves the room, when reunited they are slow to greet the mother and either ignore or avoid her. –Disorganized/disoriented attachment shows up as a pattern of confused, contradictory behaviors when reunited with the mother. Sometimes infants look frozen, dazed, and disoriented.

Judging Attachment in a Cross-Cultural Situation Language is another area in which an outsider may misjudge what is happening. European American middle class families are very vocal and all this vocalization is part of the attachment process. Important to have a turn-taking situation in talking to an infant Some families, however, rarely speak to their infants but have nonverbal communication.

Caregiver and Parent Roles Differ Attachment grows out of the sensitivity and the ability of the infant-care teacher to read babies communication and to communicate and also promotes further communication. Good infant-care teachers and good parents have similar behaviors and goals but they also have some differences. The infant-care teacher’s attachment is necessarily short-term, and it’s important for him or her to remember that fact.

(cont.) Caregiver and Parent Roles Differ The goal of parental attachment is to establish optimum closeness with the child; the infant care teacher’s goal is optimum distance. The infant-care teacher must put limits on the degree of attachment.

Attachment in Full-Inclusion Programs Full-inclusion programs are those where children with developmental differences, disabilities, and particular challenges are placed in child care with their typically developing peers rather than being separated into special programs. Every child must feel like they belong at school.