03/09/2018 Childhood development 0 – 12 months Sheila Evans. Aims for today • Know how Early Years Teachers can impact upon the care and education for babies. • Understand the benefits of a secure attachment. • Consolidate and gain additional learning through reflection and review, individually and in groups BABIES 1 03/09/2018 Attachment How does this link to the Teachers’ Standards EYITT ? TS 2:4 ‘Know and understand attachment theories, their significance and how effectively to promote secure attachments’ Understanding of Attachment DfE(2016) ‘ Affectionate bond which children have with special people in their lives.’ The Allen Report (2011) ‘Deep, long-lasting emotional attachment which influences the mind, body, emotions, relationships and values.’ Bowlby (1988) ‘Lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.’ What is attachment? A strong, reciprocal emotion and enduring bond between 2 people. Attachments in infancy are important because they can affect future relationships and emotional health. Infants display attachment through their behaviour around their primary caregiver. It is characterised by a desire to maintain proximity. Indicators include the degree of separation distress, pleasure at reunion and stranger anxiety. Attachment style is categorised as being secure or insecure 2 03/09/2018 Why is Attachment important in child development? The Allen Report (2011) The type of attachmentformed as a child has a positive impacton : -Self-Esteem -Independence -Ability to make short and long-term relationships -Ability to show empathy towards others Attachment Theory John Bowlby (1958) Bowlby was a psychiatrist and originator of Attachment Theory following his work with children experiencing emotional difficulties. He highlighted the importance of the caregiver to provide safety and security. Supported by the work of Harlow (1958) with monkeys and Lorenz’s (1935) theory of Imprinting. Overall it was suggested that Attachment is an innate instinct. Adaptive & innate: Children have an innate drive to become attached to the caregiver (like imprinting) because attachment has long term benefits. Therefore attachment is adaptive because they increase the likelihood of survival. Sensitive period: Since attachment is innate there is a limited window for development (sensitive period). Bowlby suggests this is the 2nd quarter of the first year, when infants are most sensitive to development of attachments. If you miss this window,he says you won’t form attachments. Care giving is innate: It'san adaptive behaviour which increases the offspring's chance of survival, infants are born with social releasers such as smiling or crying, which causes a care giving behaviour. A secure base: Attachment is protectionand acts as a secure base for children. Monotropy & Hierarchy: One of the many attachmentsinfants willform will be a primary attachment with the person who responds best to their social releasers (usually the mother) and this is known as the monotropy. The child will attach to the most sensitively responding caregiver and he calls this the sensitivity hypothesis. The rest fall into ranking. Internal working model: Cluster of concepts about relationshipsand what to expect from others. The continuity hypothesis: The view that there is a link betweenearly attachment relationship and later emotional behaviour. 3 03/09/2018 What is the basis of attachment? Bowlby retained the psychoanalyst idea, that quality or attachment to the caregiver has profound implications for a child’s security and capacity to form trusting relationships. But he maintained that feeding was not the basis for attachment. The central theme of his attachment theory was that Mothers who are available to respond to their infants needs, establish a sense of security in their children. The infant knows that the care giver is dependable whichin turn, creates a secure base for the infant to then explore the World. Babies are born equipped with behaviours like crying, cooing, smiling and babbling to ensure adult attention. Adults are biologically programmed to respond to infant signals. Providing important attachments for children Teachers and significant adults can provide important attachments for children Secure attachment is associated with positive outcomes such as less emotional dependence and higher achievement orientation and interpersonal harmony. Avoidant attachment is related to later aggressiveness and negative thoughts. Resistant attachment is associated with great anxiety and with drawn behaviour. Disorganised attachment is linked to hostile and aggressive behaviour Early stages of attachment development The four stages of attachment according to Bowlby are: ‘Pre-attachment’ phase (birth to 6 weeks) ‘Attachment in making’ phase (6 weeks to 6/8 months) ‘Clear cut attachment’ phase (6/8 months – 18/24 months) ‘Formation of reciprocal making’ phase (18/24 months onwards) 4 03/09/2018 Pre attachment phase. Baby’s innate signals attract the attention of the care giver (grasping, crying, smiling and gazing into the adult’s eyes) Care givers remain close by when the baby responds positively. The infants encourage the caregivers to remain close as the closeness comforts them. Babies recognise the Mother’s face, smell and voice. They are not yet attached to the Mother so they don’t mind being left with unfamiliar adults. They have no fear of strangers. ‘Attachment in making’ phase (6 weeks to 6/8 months) Infant responds differently to familiar caregiver than to strangers. The baby will babble and smile more to the caregiver and then quieten when picked up. The infant learns that their actions affect those around them. They begin to develop sense of trust which they hope the caregiver will respond when signalled. The infant still does NOT protest when separated from primary care giver. ‘Clear cut attachment’ phase (6/8 months – 18/24 months) The attachment to the primary care giver becomes evident. Baby displays separation anxiety where they become upset when the care giver, upon whom they have relied, leaves. Although separation anxiety increases between 6 – 15 months, it depends on infant temperament, context and adult behaviour. The infant willshow distress when the caregiver leaves but if the care giver is sensitive and supportive, this could be short lived. Also if the baby has not developed the Piagetian object permanence, they do not become upset when they leave. Lester et al 1974 5 03/09/2018 ‘Formation of reciprocal making’ phase (18/24 months onwards) With rapid growth in representation and language, by two years, the toddler is able to understand some of the factors that influence a care givers’ coming and going. They are able to predict return and so protests decline. The toddler can now negotiate with the caregiver, using request and persuasion to alter their goals. With age, the child now becomes more less dependent on the care giver and more confident that the caregiver will be more accessible and responsive in times of need. Causes of Insecure Attachments Poverty Parental Mental Health difficulties Exposure to neglect, domestic violence or other forms of abuse Alcohol or drug taking during pregnancy Multiple home and school placements Premature Birth Abandonment Family Bereavement Types of Attachment • Secure Attachment • Insecure Attachment • Insecure Ambivalent Attachment • Insecure Disorganised Attachment 6 03/09/2018 Key person role • Thinking back to the attachment theory. • How can practitioners in baby room support their transition into setting? • Why is this so important ? • What support and nurturing would you offer to a baby demonstrating separation anxiety? • How would you work with parents? • GEE’s give examples from your home setting or experiences with babies. How do babies learn? What is your understanding about how babies learn? What reading and study have you completed that supports this understanding? What evidence have you seen of this in practice? Birth to two months Social and Emotional Begins to smile at people Can briefly calm themselves (may bring hands to mouth and suck on hand) Tries to look at parent Language/Communication Coos and makes gurgling sounds. Turns head towards sounds. Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving) Pays attention to faces Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change Movement/Physical Development Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy Makes smoother movements with arms and legs 7 03/09/2018 By age of 4 months Social and Emotional Smiles spontaneously especially at people. Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stops. Copies some movements and facial expressions like smiling or frowning. Language/Communication Begins to babble, and babbles with expressions and mimics sounds. Cries in different ways to demonstrate hunger, tiredness or pain. Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving) Responds to affection - showingif happy or sad. Uses hands and eyes together – reachingfor toys with one hand. Watches faces closely – recognises familiar faces. Movement/Physical Development Holds head steady, unsupported. When on tummy pushes up to elbowsand pushes down on legs May begin to roll over and hold onto toys – shaking and grasping for hanging objects. By age of 6 Months Social and Emotional Responds to familiar faces and knows when one is a stranger Responds to others’ emotions and often