Audience: The audience of this paper are the families with children or planning to have children in near future, early childhood professionals including educators, and policy makers of early childhood institutes.
Role: My role here is a researcher as well as an early childhood educator.
Goal: The goal here is to provide awareness to the audience about the impact of attachment and adverse environmental influences on child development in his or her early years.
Attachment
The term “attachment” is known for its colloquial uses mostly in describing how people as strongly or weakly connected. “Attachment theory” is originated by John Bowlby (1969) and expanded by many of his successors into one of the most influential bodies of thought in the field (Music, 2011, p 60). The main focus of this paper is on the theoretical part and how attachment and adverse situation affect child’s development in early years and hence leaves a lifelong impact.
Attachment Theory:
Attachment theory suggests that human beings are wired to connect with one another emotionally, in intimate relationships; there is a powerful influence on children’s development by the way they are treated by their parents, especially by their mothers; and a theory of developmental pathways can explain later tendencies in relationship based on such early experiences (Snyder, Shapiro, and Treleaven, 2012). The importance of attachment of an infant with his or her mother in early years are immense. The love and affection a mother or a caregiver provide for her newborn child last on the child for the rest of his her life. What happens in early childhood can matter for a lifetime (2015).
Types of Attachment:
Four major categories of attachment, with corresponding characteristics, associated behaviors, and implications for later development, have been discerned for children:
- Secure,
- Avoidant (insecure),
- Anxious/ambivalent (insecure), and
- Disorganized (insecure) (Snyder, Shapiro, and Treleaven, 2012).
Adverse Environmental Influence on Child Development and Learning:
In the article “The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress” the authors present a bio-developmental framework that illustrates how early experiences and environmental influences can leave a lasting signature on the genetic that affect emerging brain construction and long-term health. Exposure to stressful experiences has been shown to alter the size and neuronal architecture of these areas as well as lead to functional differences in learning, memory, and aspects of executive functioning (Shonkoff, Garner, Siegel, Dobbins, Earls, McGuinn, and Wood, 2011).
The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child has identified three types of stress responses to varied stressors:
- Positive stress response (brief stress that is mild to moderate, i.e. first day of school)
- Tolerable stress response (irregular experience that is the cause of stress, i.e. death)
- Toxic stress response (frequent, strong stress (i.e. abuse) (2012)
All three of these stress responses refer to the magnitude of the stressor, the most dangerous being the toxic stress. Toxic environments, during prenatal, infant and early childhood, can lead to lifelong impairments in learning, behavior and physical and mental health. Shonkoff stated that toxic stresses have been proven to affect specific parts of the brain: amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. These parts of the brain help to regulate memory and mood-related functions. “…sound health in early childhood provides a foundation or the construction of sturdy brain architecture and the achievement of a broad range of skills and learning capacities” (Shonkoff, p 242).
In a very organized way, the article “The Impact of Early Adversity on Children’s Development” (2015) described how the attachment impacts human development was presented. The significant ideas are as follows:
- Early experiences influence the developing brain.
- Chronic stress can be toxic to developing brains.
- Significant early adversity can lead to lifelong problems.
- Early intervention can prevent the consequences of early adversity.
- Stable, caring relationships are essential for healthy development (2015).
Strategies for Early Childhood Professionals to Reduce the Impact:
Caregiver and community capacities to promote health refers to the ability of family members, early childhood program staff, and the social capital provided through neighborhoods, voluntary associations, and the parents’ workplaces to play a major supportive role in strengthening the foundations of child health. These capacities can be grouped into 3 categories: (1) time and commitment; (2) financial, psychological, social, and institutional resources; and (3) skills and knowledge (Shonkoff, Garner, Siegel, Dobbins, Earls, McGuinn, and Wood, 2011).
As the scientific evidence for implications for early childhood policy and programs has become better known and has been disseminated more widely, they have become increasingly appreciated by decision makers across the political spectrum. Notwithstanding this growing awareness, however, discussions about early brain development in policy-making circles have focused almost entirely on issues concerned with school readiness as a prerequisite for later academic achievement and the development of a skilled adult workforce ((Bernier; Carlson; Deschenes; Matte-Gagne, 2012).
Finally, Fearn and Howerd (2012) in their article “Play as a Resource for Children Facing Adversity: An Exploration of Indicative Case Studies” stressed the importance of “play” and explained it very eloquently as an intervention in severe adverse circumstances for young children. Analysis of case studies focusing on interventions with children caught in the bombing of Beirut, children abandoned to the state system in Romania, and the street children in Rio de Janeiro and Cali are used to support this view that analysis confirms that given the opportunity, children interact with and influence their environment through play and that this process provides a resource to meet the challenge of adversity (Fearn and Howard, 2012).
Reference:
Music, G. (2011). Nurturing natures: Attachment and children’s emotional, sociocultural, and brain development.59-70 New York, NY: Psychology Press.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2008/2012). Establishing a level foundation for life: Mental health begins in early childhood: Working paper no. 6 (updated ed.). Retrieved fromhttp://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp6/
Haiman, E. (2012). Why Early Attachment Matters for Childhood and Beyond. The Attached Family. Retrieved from http://theattachedfamily.com/?p=3250
Shonkoff, J. P., Garner, A. S., Siegel, B. S., Dobbins, M. I., Earls, M. F., McGuinn, L.,…Wood, D. L. (2011). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1),e232–e246. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/1/e232.full.pdf
Bernier, A., Carlson, S. M., Deschênes, M., & Matte-Gagné, C. (2012). Social Factors in the Development of Early Executive Functioning: A Closer Look at the Caregiving Environment. Developmental Science, 15(1), 12–24. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Fearn, M., & Howard, J. (2012). Play as a Resource for Children Facing Adversity: An Exploration of Indicative Case Studies. Children and Society, 456-468. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=79aa9ef5-78d6-4cbb-b4ef-ec6d494c942f@sessionmgr4005&hid=4104
Snyder, R., Shauna, S., & Treleaven, D. (2012). Attachment Theory and Mindfulness. Journal of Child and Family Studies,709-717. Retrieved October 1, 2012, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=a17ebceb-c3e3-4798-93e4-a2a5da888cab@sessionmgr4004&hid=4101