attachment in infants and toddlers

Attachment During infancy and early childhood, one form of attachment social emotional begins to replace the original physical attachment of the cord. As dependent, a baby requires constant attention and care from another human being in order to survive. The physical sensations-sight, sounds, smells, touch, and taste-help the infant survive and grow to meet his or her potential. This "somatosensory" bath from a loving caregiver-the rocking, hugs, coos, and smiles-is transformed by the infant's sensory systems into patterned neuronal activity that controls the development of the brain in positive ways. It is in this dependent relationship between the primary caregivers and the infant that the new form of attachment grows. This attachment the emotional relationship is not as easy to see or document. The quality of attachment that an infant forms is largely determined by how the adult responds when the child’s attachment system is activated. “Nurturing Attachment in infants and Toddlers”

In the article “Attachment: what works” states, Children’s behavior tells us whether they are experiencing secure attachments or insecure attachment. Their actions tell us what they think about themselves, others, and relationships. If a child has few positive relationships in early childhood or has had a bad start due to problems with the primary-care giving experiences of infancy, this child is at risk for a host of problems. In a very real sense, the glue of normal human interactions is gone. A child with poor attachment capacity is much harder to "shape" and teach. This child will feel little pleasure from the teacher's smile or approving words. And the child does not feel bad disappointing, angering, or upsetting a parent or teacher. Without the capacity to use human interactions to "reward" and "redirect," the teacher and parent often are confused and frustrated in their challenges to promote appropriate social behavior. In severe cases, the child with poor attachment