Dyscovery 15th Anniversary Celebration (Alyson) by Rosemary Pritchard

Top Tips for Supporting Children with Emotional and Behavioural Problems The Dyscovery Centre 15th Anniversary Celebration Dr Alyson Richards, Educational Psychologist, Psychotherapist.

Attachment Theory: Secure attachment For Bowlby (1973) , a person who has experienced a secure attachment: ‘Is likely to possess a representational model of attachment figure(s) as being available, responsive, and helpful and a complementary model of himself … a potentially loveable and valuable person’ (Bowlby, 1980, p 242) and is likely to

‘Approach the world with confidence and, when faced with potentially alarming situations, is likely to tackle them effectively or to seek help in doing so’ (Bowlby 1973, p 208)

How do we need to be? • • • •

Available Responsive Helpful Convey to the child that he/she is a potentially loveable and valuable person

Activity Brainstorm: how do we the above? Identify a child where you feel challenged in being able to do these things over time. Consider this whilst listening to some theory about attachment and attunement.

Some useful information from developmental theory and research

Attachment Behaviour in Children (Bowlby, 1973; Ainsworth et al 1978)

• Secure Attachment • Avoidant pattern

• Resistant/Ambivalent pattern • Disorganised Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Avoidant Attachment style • Theme of rejection, separation and loss • Want closeness when fearful and uncertain but avoid closeness as it has been connected with rejection • Feel unwanted….unwantable (Bowlby, 1973) • Self-reliance as a defence • Anger unexpressed (split off) • Those working with the child can feel angry towards the him/her without any clear sense of why

Learning profile linked to avoidant attachment (Geddes, 2006)

Approach to school/classroom Apparent indifference to uncertainty in new situation Response to the teacher Denial of need for support and help from the teacher Sensitivity to proximity Response to the task Need to be autonomous and independent of the teacher Hostility towards the teacher is directed towards the task The task operates as an emotional safety barrier between the pupil and teacher Skills and difficulties Limited use of creativity Likely to be underachieving Limited use of language Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment Style • Separation anxiety • Separation and autonomy denied in favour of anxious involvement with caretaker • Caretaker difficulty with separate and differing needs of their child • Can be overtly hostile to caretaker

Learning profile linked to resistant/ambivalent attachment(Geddes, 2006) Approach to school/classroom High level of anxiety Response to the teacher Need to hold onto the attention of the teacher Apparent dependence on the teacher in the order to engage in learning Expressed hostility towards the teacher when frustrated Response to the task Difficulties attempting the task if unsupported Unable to focus on the task for fear of losing teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention Skills and difficulties likely to be underachieving Language may be well developed but not consistent with the levels of achievement Numeracy may be weak Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Disorganised/Disorientated Attachment • Children are likely to have experienced absence of responsiveness and care as well as threat from the source of security • In states of overwhelming fears, anxiety, helplessness • Hypervigilant – constant alert for immediate danger – little capacity for self-regulation (Schore 1994) – flight or fight • Do not see themselves as worthy of care – feel of little value • Outbursts of rage

Learning profile linked to Disorganised/disorientated attachment (Geddes, 2006)

Approach to school/classroom intense anxiety which may be expressed as controlling and omnipotent

Response to the teacher Great difficulty experiencing trust in the authority of the teacher but may submit to the authority of Head May be unable to accept being taught and/or unable to ‘permit’ the teacher to know more than they do Response to the task The task may seem like a challenge to their fears of incompetence triggering overwhelming feelings of humiliation and rejection of the task Difficulty accepting ‘not knowing’ May appear omnipotent and to know everything already Skills and difficulties may seem unimaginative and uncreative, and find conceptual thought difficult likely to be underachieving and possibly at a very immature stage of learning Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Neglect Relationship between early attachment processes and brain development are increasingly being understood with the brain development seeming to occur optimally in circumstances where parents and infants have good interactions, with high levels of Attunement. Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Abuse There is much evidence that exposure to (not necessarily involvement in) parental violence both prenatally and in infancy can have a significant adverse effect through the generation of chronically high levels of Cortisol (the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;stress hormoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) acting as a neurotoxin and interfering with the normal stress response mechanisms. Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Years 0 – 2: Attachment – at the beginning • We are biologically prepared to depend on (and thereby attach to) caregivers • As infants we are biologically prepared to rely on parent for: – – – – – –

Temperature regulation Neuroendocrine regulation Protection from infection Protection from danger Contact comfort Security Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Attachment and affect regulation in the first 2 years of life

â&#x20AC;˘ Right brain development is dominant in the first 1 -2 years of life (infancy) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; seat of sensitivity to affect regulation and foundations of emotional intelligence

Affect Attunement (Stern, 1985) Conveying you ‘understand’ what infant is expressing • 0 – approx 9 months: Mirroring in same domain and adding variation • 9 months plus: mirroring but responding in different domain (starting to add the symbolic/metaphor – can stand for) • Approx 2 +: Language (words can stand for feelings) Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Learning about our feelings - Empathic Attunement The mother/father/carer understands her/his baby’s feelings – the baby learns about him/herself by being understood by another – the basis of empathy

Secure Attachment and Brain Development • Genetic disposition interacts with the environment and neurons link into response pathways • ‘face-to-face’ – smiles and adoring links stimulate the production of biochemicals which help the brain grow (Schore, 2000) • Richer experiences of interaction the more neural connections grow Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

The reparative relationship • Developments in neuroscience are showing us that the brain has the capacity to develop new neural pathways (Schore, 2000) • Where attachments in early years have been particularly difficult for babies (0-3), then with ‘nurturing caregivers’ who offer help in ‘regulating behaviour and physiology’ the neuroendocrine system (related to stress and flight/fight behaviour) of such babies has been shown to return to normal (Dozier, In press). Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

The next stage in Attachment and affect regulation â&#x20AC;˘ As linguistic ability develops (year 2) so left brain becomes dominant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; language and thought can moderate anxiety (modelled by the caretakers)

Our tasks – Offering attunement and an additional attachment relationship – Facilitating expression of emotions – Helping children to develop thinking in the face of overwhelming feelings

Emotional Literacy EMOTIONAL LITERACY is the ability to recognize, understand and appropriately express our emotions. Emotional literacy is the basis for perceiving and communicating emotions. E.g.Dealing with Feeling: An Emotional Literacy Curriculum for Children Aged 7-13 (Lucky Duck Books) Tina Rae Emotional Literacy in the Early Years (Sage Pub) Christine Bruce

Developing Thinking Examples: ď ľTurtle technique and progressive muscle relaxation ď ľProblem solving

Modifications in the classroom

Helping the Avoidant child: Safe engagement • • • •

Using the task as a bridge that links them Older children as mentors Keep ‘not knowing’ to a minimum Concrete structured activities (little use of imaginative skills)… appropriately differentiated (allowing some pupil choice) • Offer structure for writing/verbal expression • Use metaphor/ describe the feelings of characters in books, tv etc • Structured games

Helping the Resistant child to face the challenge of separation and fear of ‘being lost from mind’ • Reliable and consistent adult support which does not collude with dependency • Differentiation of task and turn-taking to model experience of two separate people working alongside each other • Holding a special transitional object • Making explicit comments across classroom to child • Responsibility for tasks rather than others • small groups • Planning beginnings, separations and endings to help diminish anxiety • Quick responses to absences • Work with parents Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Helping the Disorganised child : Containment • Physical containment before emotional containment • The adult needs to sustain ‘thinking’ in the face of the attacks and thereby offer this to the children • Emotional Containment • Concrete, mechanical, rhythmic activities that engage left brain function Copyright Dr A Richards 2012

Over-riding our own tendencies - Our Challenges • Grandiosity – nobody else but me can help this child… I have to do it all… I can be the better parent • Withdraw • Burn out

Review Activity

Consider 2 things you are going to do differently with the child you had chosen at the beginning of the workshop.

School as a ‘Container’ – helping children to think in the face of their overwhelming feelings

The Joint Problem Solving Workshop (Hanko, 1995)

References • • • • • • • • • • •

Ainsworth, M.D.S., Blehar, M., Waters, E. & Wall, S.(1978) Patterns of Attachment – a psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale N.J.:Erlbaum Bartholomew, K. & Horowitz, L.M. (1991) ‘Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244. Bowlby, John (1973) Attachment and Loss, vol 2, Separation: Anxiety and Anger. London: Hogarth Press Bowlby, John (1980) Attachment and Loss, vol 3, Loss: Sadness and Depression. London: Hogarth Press Dozier, M, Velez, C., Wallin, A., & Ball, S. (In press). Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up: Intervening early to enhance behavioral and biological regulation. Journal of School Health. Geddes, Heather (2006) Attachment in the Classroom, Worth Publishing. Gerhardt, S. (2004) Why Love Matters – How Affection Changes a Baby’s Brain. London: Brunner-Routledge. Hanko, Gerda (1995) Special Needs in Ordinary Classrooms – from staff support to staff development. Oxford Blackwell. Schore, A (1994) Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self. Hillsdale N.J.: Erlbaum. Schore, A.N. The effects of early relational trauma on right brain development, affect regulation and infant mental health. Infant Mental Health Journal, Vol 22, 201-269. Stern, Daniel N (1985) The Interpersonal World of the Infant. Basic Books.