A taste of attachmentDr Jenny Suthers

Clinical PsychologistGolden Grove, SA

Attachment is about relationships

Babies aren’t born attached

Parents influence their child’s attachment

Securely attached children, view:• the world as safe• adults as consistent and reliable• themselves as lovable

Insecurely attached children, view:• the world as unsafe• adults as inconsistent and unreliable• themselves as unlovable

1988 Cooper, Hoffman, Marvin, & Powell – circleofsecurity.org

Carer clings tight world is not safe, child is not capable• “Let me do it for you – let me speak for you”• “I’m the only one who understands you”• “I will organise everything and you just come along”

Problems with the top of the Circle

Carer dismisses child’s need for comfort carer isn’t safe, child must rely on themselves

• “Don’t bother me now, I’m busy”• “You need to learn this for yourself”• “Suck it up, princess”

Problems with the bottom

of the Circle

Working with children, with an attachment mindset, is an attitude, not a technique

Children with ASD have the same attachment styles

as the rest of the population

Split-screen still-face experiment

What did you see?What effect would this have on the child,

day after day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btg9PiT0sZg

Children love to be understood

Deal with your own stuff

Remain calm

Mirror neurones in actioncan look like this

Behaviour is communication

Pay attention to your childand listen to what they tell you

Be empathic

Teach new skills

Working from an attachment mindset starts with you

Attachment is about relationships

Attachment impacts on every future relationship

I will use my words and my actions to tell you: • when you need me, I will be there for you• nothing will take priority over you• I will remove any threat from you• if I can’t remove the threat, I will face it with you• differences, misunderstandings, or conflicts will never threaten our

relationship

Today’s presentation is based, in part, on the work of:

Dan HughesDan SiegelKent Hoffman (Circle of Security)Bruce PerryArthur Becker-Weidman

Some ResourcesColby Pearce: “A Short Introduction to Attachment and Attachment Disorder”For teachers working with foster children:

“Calmer Classrooms” from the Commission for Children and Young People (Victoria)Go to www.ccyp.vi.gov.au and type Calmer Classrooms into the search box

Budweiser Clydesdales – 2013 Super Bowl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTbLBL2P6YA