Abstract Utilizing Play to Help Adopted Children
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ABSTRACT UTILIZING PLAY TO HELP ADOPTED CHILDREN FORM HEALTHY ATTACHMENTS by Coleen Michelle Sallot Thousands of children are adopted both domestically and internationally every year. Many of these children come from institutional or foster care and suffer from complex trauma, abuse and neglect, which negatively affect their transition and attachment with their adoptive families (Van Der Kolk, 2005). If left untreated, these effects can last into adulthood, impairing a person’s ability to form secure relationships throughout their lives (White, 2014). The purpose of this research is to explore the use of virtual play—especially play therapy—to help adopted children in Pennsylvania work through these past traumas so they can form healthy attachments with their adoptive families. As a result, treating complex trauma in these children requires treatment that addresses the whole child: 1) safety, 2) relationships and 3) self- regulation and management (Purvis, 2013). Up until this point, most interventions are behavioral-based and revolve around the caregiver and family, such as attachment parenting and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) training (Chobhthaigh, 2019). However, few studies focus on adopted children and their use of play, and no studies have been published that revolve around the use of virtual play to treat adopted children with trauma. UTILIZING PLAY TO HELP ADOPTED CHILDREN FORM HEALTHY ATTACHMENTS Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by Coleen Michelle Sallot Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2021 Advisor: Zack Tucker Advisor: Dennis Cheatham Reader: Doris Bergen Reader: Anne Roma © 2021 Coleen Michelle Sallot This thesis titled UTILIZING PLAY TO HELP ADOPTED CHILDREN FORM HEALTHY ATTACHMENTS by Coleen Michelle Sallot has been approved for publication by College of Creative Arts and The Department of Art ________________________________________________________ Zack Tucker ________________________________________________________ Dennis Cheatham ________________________________________________________ Doris Bergen ________________________________________________________ Anne Roma Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... v Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 3: Methodology .............................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 4: Results and Findings ................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 5: Phenomena Research Conclusions and Discussion .................................................. 45 Chapter 6: Design Intervention .................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 7: Design Research Conclusions and Discussion ........................................................... 74 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 77 Appendix A - Research Consent .................................................................................................... 85 Appendix B - Information Sheet ................................................................................................... 88 Appendix C - Survey Questions ..................................................................................................... 90 Appendix D - Parent Interview Questions .................................................................................... 97 Appendix E - Play Therapist Interview Questions (Research phase) .......................................... 100 Appendix F - Play Therapist Interview Questions (Prototype phase) ......................................... 102 Appendix G - Email Invitations .................................................................................................... 104 Colophon ..................................................................................................................................... 108 iv List of Figures Domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma ............................................... 2.1 Caregiver behavior and infant attachment strategies ................................................................. 2.2 Disorganized attachment strategies ............................................................................................ 2.3 Normal attachment cycle ............................................................................................................. 2.4 List of attachment-based behavioral interventions for adoptive families .................................. 2.5 Van Meter Community School virtual makerspace ..................................................................... 2.6 Minecraft screenshot ................................................................................................................... 2.7 Roblox screenshot ........................................................................................................................ 2.8 Night ZooKeeper screenshot ....................................................................................................... 2.9 Google’s Music Lab screenshot ................................................................................................. 2.10 Toy Theater screenshot ............................................................................................................. 2.11 Total number of children ............................................................................................................. 4.1 Total number of adopted children ............................................................................................... 4.2 Length of time since family’s first adoption ................................................................................ 4.3 Parental age range at time of first adoption ............................................................................... 4.4 Parental support system .............................................................................................................. 4.5 Type of adoption .......................................................................................................................... 4.6 Child gender ................................................................................................................................. 4.7 Average length of time home ...................................................................................................... 4.8 Average age at time of adoption ................................................................................................. 4.9 Factors contributing to a child being available for adoption..................................................... 4.10 Contributing factors based on adoption type ........................................................................... 4.11 Prevalence of special needs and diagnoses in adopted child survey population ..................... 4.12 Prevalence of special needs and diagnoses by adoption type .................................................. 4.13 Prevalence of problematic attitudes and behaviors exhibited in adopted survey population . 4.14 Prevalence of problematic attitudes and behaviors by adoption type ..................................... 4.15 Prevalence of problematic attitudes and behaviors among adopted children diagnosed with attachment disorders ................................................................................................................. 4.16 Prevalence of interventions and treatments used with adopted children ............................... 4.17 Prevalence of education and support employed by adoptive parents ..................................... 4.18 v Child use of comfort objects ...................................................................................................... 4.19 Modes of play ............................................................................................................................ 4.20 Activities children enjoy for fun ................................................................................................. 4.21 Activities children use to calm themselves down ...................................................................... 4.22 Affinity map of interview coding results .................................................................................... 4.23 Categories of interview results .................................................................................................. 4.24 Key megathemes found from interviews .................................................................................. 4.25 Mindmap of adoption challenges .............................................................................................