Attachment
We are all born with attachment seeking behaviours such as crying, clinging, imitation and smiling. These behaviours are designed to keep carers close ensuring that the baby’s needs for survival, safety and sensitive care are met.
Attachment is a process. When a baby needs something – food, comfort, play – he feels stressed and signals his discomfort through, for example, crying, seeking to have his needs met. Parents/carers ‘tune in’ (attune) to their baby’s unique cries and signals for different needs.
This ongoing attachment process, in the first few years of life, is crucial in shaping how we grow and develop through childhood and into adulthood – neurologically, physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically. What happens to us in the womb also contributes to our resilience or vulnerability.
This ongoing attachment process, in the first few years of life, is crucial in shaping how we grow and develop through childhood and into adulthood – neurologically, physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically. What happens to us in the womb also contributes to our resilience or vulnerability.
Research informs us that a child’s first attachments are vitally important – he or she needs to feel loved and special. Children whose needs have been met in a sensitive, loving and timely way by their primary carer – described as secure attachment – have a sense of trust and confidence in themselves. Securely attached children do better at school and are likely to be good at making friends. Their early attachments help them to form close relationships later in life. They grow up knowing that when they need something someone will help them.
There can be barriers to secure attachment - within the child, within the parent, within the environment. Children whose early experiences of attachment have been less optimal can have insecure or disorganised attachments. These children will potentially be more vulnerable with respect to coping with future relationships and life events.
'Attachment definition from the common core and Mapping Exercise '
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📄 'Attachment Matters For All' A mapping exercise, undertaken by CELCIS and SAIA on behalf of the Scottish Government, examining how far attachment theory underpins training and practice within Scotland’s children’s sector. Examples of good practice are identified and factors inhibiting the embedding of an attachment informed approach are explored. 2012 |
🌐 Attachment theory in practice This resource defines attachment, examines the components and evidence underlying attachment, and the patterns of attachment behaviour. There is a summary of current policy implications, and this goes alongside practice points and video perspectives. Sally Wassell. Published by Iriss. April 2020 |
✍️ Free Open University Course "Attachment in the early years”
This free course, Attachment in the early years, covers theory and research in the area of attachment in early childhood. In the 1950s, John Bowlby was the first person to develop a theory about the significance of early attachments between caregivers and very young children. His work has stimulated a massive and very productive field of research with important implications for childcare. This OpenLearn course describes Bowlby's theory and the work that has built on it, illustrated with video recordings of the assessment of attachment in a laboratory setting and a talk by an eminent attachment researcher.
This free course, Attachment in the early years, covers theory and research in the area of attachment in early childhood. In the 1950s, John Bowlby was the first person to develop a theory about the significance of early attachments between caregivers and very young children. His work has stimulated a massive and very productive field of research with important implications for childcare. This OpenLearn course describes Bowlby's theory and the work that has built on it, illustrated with video recordings of the assessment of attachment in a laboratory setting and a talk by an eminent attachment researcher.
What else impacts early childhood? ACEs
Further information on the research findings on the long-term impact on children ACEs - adverse childhood experiences.
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ACEs from KPJR FILMS LLC on Vimeo. |
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CLICK HERE to read more about The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
