An Introduction To Attachment And The Implications For .

An Introduction to Attachmentand the implications forLearning and Behaviour Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice (2014).1

Before we start I want all children to have the best possible start in life. Children,such as those who are in care or adopted from care, who havebeen neglected, or failed to form secure attachments with adultsin their early years, exhibit a variety of behaviours at school andas teenagers. If not recognised, it can lead to exclusion,educational underachievement and wasted lives. This moduledemonstrates a commitment to increasing teachers' awarenessof attachment issues and to developing strategies to break thiscycle of deprivation.Edward Timpson MP, Minister for ChildrenEvery teacher, and every school, should be so aware and sopractising, because it is the duty of the public body to adapt tothe child, not the other way round.Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England2 Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).

Background to this training resourceThese materials have been developed through a partnershipbetween Bath Spa University, Bath and North East SomersetCouncil, the National College for Teaching and Leadership, arange of third sector organisations, attachment specialists andlocal schools. The materials are informed by research and basedon evidence from classroom practice.At the heart of this training tool is a concern to do our best forall children in school, not solely those who exhibit symptoms oftrauma and unmet attachment needs, and a conviction thatschools which are truly ‘attachment aware’, are those where allchildren are ready to learn and achieve. Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).3

Introduction: why attachment matters Most children enjoy life and are successful in schooland in relationships. This lasts into adult life. But a significant minority struggle from an early stageand especially in adolescence. These children can be:– Unfocussed– Disruptive– Controlling– Withdrawn– Destructive These children tend to underachieve in school and areoften punished and even excluded. Little that schoolsdo seems to work. Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).4

Introduction: why attachment matters As a result, these children may not fulfil their potential asadults, either in employment or relationships Those adults who enjoyed success in school can findthese children hard to engage and motivate Research shows that a child's ability to form relationshipsand to learn is shaped by the child’s early experiences So, if we can better understand WHY and HOW somechildren behave the way they do, we can then find waysto help them enjoy and succeed in their education It is a fascinating area of research with major implicationsfor how schools support all children to succeedWhy attachment matters video clip Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).5

Key learning pointsabout attachmentThe nature of a child’sprimary attachmentsto caregivers lay thefoundations for socioemotional well-beingand thereforechildren’s capacity tolearnSecure attachmentrelationshipscorrelate stronglywith higheracademicattainment, betterself-regulation andsocial competenceEducators themselvesneed to establish anattachment-likerelationship with theirpupils, particularly withchallenging andvulnerable pupils, inorder to enhancelearning opportunitiesfor all Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).6

Outline of this online training1.What is attachment?- an introduction to the research on attachment andthe neuroscience of attachment1.Why do educators need to know about attachment?- the implications for learning and behaviour2.What can leaders do?- signposts for theory into practice Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).7

Section 1What is attachment? – an introduction toattachment theory and the neuroscienceof attachment Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).8

Attachment theory in a nutshellThe theory of attachment was first proposed by John Bowlby who described it as a ‘lastingpsychological connectedness between human beings’ (1988). He considered that childrenneeded to develop a secure attachment with their main caregiver in their early years.This theory has been revised to acknowledge that multiple attachments can occur withother adults throughout the lifespan, although early experiences may continue to have animpact.Secure attachments support mental processes that enable the child to regulate emotions,reduce fear, attune to others, have self-understanding and insight, empathy for others andappropriate moral reasoning (Bowlby called these mental representations the internalworking model). Insecure attachments, on the other hand, can have unfortunateconsequences. If a child cannot rely on an adult to respond to their needs in times ofstress, they are unable to learn how to soothe themselves, manage their emotions andengage in reciprocal relationships.A child’s initial dependence on others for protection provides the experiences and skills tohelp a child cope with frustrations, develop self-confidence and pro-social relationships all qualities necessary to promote positive engagement with learning. Research hasinextricably linked attachment to school readiness and school success (Commodari2013, Geddes 2006).Attachment theory in a nutshell, Robin Balbernie video clip Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).9

Internal Working ModelsThese are the mind’s internalized pictures of the physical and mentalexperiences of attunement with caregivers. They are established inchildhood and are used to inform behaviour in all of the significantrelationships in a child’s and adult’s life. They serve as filters forunderstanding current and future interactions and are used to help the childevaluate, predict and choose what behaviour to present. They reflect :-Memories of day to dayinteractionsExpectations &affectiveAdoptedexperience Behavioural Strategiesassociatedwith interactionsAccumulatingschemasor event scriptsActions based on and guided byprevious interactions(Rose, Gilbert and McGuireSniekus, forthcoming)10 Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice (2014).

Attachment theory – the key messages Nurturing adult attachments provide children with protective, safehavens and secure bases from which to explore and engage withothers and their environment (Bowlby 1988) Early care-giving has a long-lasting impact on development, theability to learn, capacity to regulate emotions and form satisfyingrelationships (Siegel 2012) Attachment is crucial to children’s psychological welfare and formsthe basis of personality development and socialisation (Bowlby 1988) Teachers, youth workers and significant adults in a child’s life canprovide important attachments for children (Bergin and Bergin 2009, Riley 2010) “The biological function of attachment is survival; the psychologicalfunction is to gain security” (Schaffer 2004)11 Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).

What are the risk factors affecting attachmentand who are the vulnerable groups?The following factors may present arisk to the quality of attachmentbetween child and parent:- Poverty- Parental mental healthdifficulties- Exposure to neglect, domesticviolence or other forms of abuse- Alcohol/drug taking duringpregnancy- Multiple home and schoolplacements- Premature birth- Abandonment- Family bereavementVulnerable groups may include:-Children in areas of social andeconomic deprivationChildren in careAdopted children whose earlyexperiences of trauma continue toaffect their livesDisabled childrenChildren with medical conditions orillnessChildren who have moved homefrequently during the early years e.g.forces familiesRefugees and children who havebeen traumatised by conflict or lossBUT insecure attachments may occurwithin non-vulnerable childrenas well12 Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).

Attachment types can be seen asself – protective behavioural strategiesThere are 4 identified attachmenttypes: Secure – ‘I’m ok, you’re there for me’ Insecure avoidant – ‘It’s not ok to beemotional’ Insecure ambivalent – ‘I wantcomfort but it doesn’t help me’ Insecure disorganized – ‘I’mfrightened’The nature of attachment type is apredictor of emotional responses andlater social behaviour and resilienceNote: Some research uses just twocategories of attachment styles —secure vs. insecure—whilst otherresearch uses a continuum of securityin attachment (Bergin and Bergin 2009)Current research suggests that: At least one third of children havean insecure attachment with atleast one caregiver (Bergin and Bergin2009) As many as 80% of childrendiagnosed with ADHD haveattachment issues (Clarke et al 2002;Moss and St-Laurent 2001) 98% of children surveyedexperienced one or more traumaevent – for one in four this traumaresulted in behavioural and/oremotional disturbance (O’Connor andRussell 2004) Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).13

Secure Attachment: Securely attachedchildren have experienced sensitive andattuned caregiving. They are able to trustand rely on teachers to meet their needs.As a result they feel confident to formmeaningful relationships with others, tomake the most of learning opportunities,to engage in productive activities,problem-solve and explore the widerworld. These children are emotionallyresilient and self-aware.Insecure Avoidant Attachment: Avoidant attachedchildren have experienced insensitive, intrusive orrejecting caregiving. They appear to beindependent of their teachers and seek to meettheir needs on their own as they have not been ableto trust or rely on their caregiver. They are taskorientated, self-reliant and high achieving in someaspects but are generally socially uncomfortable,exhibit indifference and avoid close relationships.They may find it difficult to seek help, have limitedcreativity and may be prone to sudden outbursts.Insecure Ambivalent Attachment:Ambivalent attached children haveexperienced inconsistent and largelyunresponsive caregiving. They are easilyfrustrated and may present as both clingyor rejecting of a teacher as they seek bothcomfort from but are unable to becomforted by adults. They may presentas immature, fussy, helpless, passive orwhiney or they may be angry or petulant.They may also present as attentionseeking, hyperactive and have difficultyrecovering from upset.Insecure Disorganised Attachment: Disorganisedattached children are usually from neglected,abusive and/or chaotic homes. The child is likely tofeel confused by teachers and experience them asfrightening or frightened. These children are oftenhighly vigilant, easily distracted, have a strong senseof fear, panic, or helplessness and may present withbizarre, extreme, unpredictable or distressingbehaviour, which adults may find shocking anddifficult to manage. They often present as sensitiveto criticism, defiant and/or controlling and areeasily overwhelmed.(Bergin & Bergin 2009; Bombèr 2007; Geddes 2006) Queen’s Printer and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (2014).14