will i ever see you again?
TRANSCRIPT
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Will I Ever See
You Again?
Attachment
challenges for
foster children
Elizabeth Jacobs, Ph.D.
Prepared for the
Arizona Court Improvement
May 18, 2010
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“It is now clear that human beings of all ages
are found to be at their happiest and to be able
to deploy their talents to best advantage when
they are confident that, standing behind them,
there are one or more trusted persons who will
come to their aid should difficulties arise.”
John Bowlby, 1973.
Who did
you trust?
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Attachment is defined as a/an...
“…evolutionary adaptive emotional
tie…(Darwin)
“…reciprocal process by which an
emotional connection develops…(Erikson)
“…intense affectional bond…(Harlow)
“…instinctual process…as basic as
seeking food and always results in some
form of attachment...(Freud)
…between the child and his primary caregiver.
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The Cycle of Attachment
Infant/child feels threatened, needs help,
has a need and elicits the help of the
caregiver displaying an “attachment
behavior to get his/her attention.
Caregiver correctly reads needs
of child and tends to the need.
Child is satisfied, returns to activity
confident that help is there if needed.
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A broken attachment cycle can result
in two serious problems:
Children have difficulty forming
attachments to their caregivers (bio or
foster.)
Bio or foster parents have difficulty
responding correctly to their children.
…so a new cycle is created...
David Pelzer
The child learns not to become attached…
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The Study of AttachmentHistory….
Sigmund Freud (1920’s)
Rene Spitz (1940)
Harry Harlow (1958)
Erik Erikson (1968)
Recent research…
Measured by behavior.
WWII children in hospitals, institutions, or nurseries (John Bowlby) (1940’s)
Protest, despair, detachment
“Strange Situation” (Mary Ainsworth) (1979)
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All children attach to caregivers in one of two
ways:
Securely
Or
Insecurely
Research results were pretty simple…
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Secure Attachment
The emotional bond is positive and
care is consistent. A sense of trust
develops. Child may move away
and explore knowing that the
caregiver is available for help in
case of adversity or fear.
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Insecurely Attached
Either:
Insecure-Resistant: child is uncertain.
Vacillate between seeking and resisting
contact with caregiver.
Or:
Insecure-Avoidant: child expects
rejection from caregiver. Actively avoid
caregiver.
…or so they thought…
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Researchers slowed down Ainsworth tapes and discovered an additional Insecure Attachment type in maltreated children:
Disorganized/Disoriented
– child is confused, dazed, may subtly try to hit caregiver….
Common to children who had been abused…
Until: A mid-1980’s Discovery
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…which describes foster care
children who have a background of…
neglect, abuse, parental drug abuse, and
family instability all of which make the
occurrence of Disorganized/Disoriented
attachment disorder more likely.
Some children are resilient… why?
More specifically, foster children have
backgrounds which include
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Sudden or traumatic separation from primary caregiver.
Inconsistent or inadequate care at home.
Chronic depression of primary caregiver.
Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
Illness or pain which can not be alleviated by caregiver.
All factors that interfere with healthy
attachment to mother/caregiver
“Joseph”
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New information comes in through here first
THEN gets matched to PRIOR information
If unknown or threat body will protect itself
Hindbrain
Brain is still forming in children
Look! A Rattlesnake!
Neurological Response to Maltreatment
PTSD?
Neural response
strengthens with repetition
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But that’s not the end
of trauma for them:
Problems also occur AFTER
children come into care…
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AFTER they come into care,
foster children…
…display unusual neurologically strong attachment behaviors which are misunderstood.
…suffer from neurological problems .
…experience the turnover of case managers, CASAs, judges, GALs, therapists, foster homes…(NO ONE stays!)
…experience frequent moves and/or placements.
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Links to Psychopathology/criminality:
“Insecure attachment patterns in infancy and early childhood are strong predictors of psychopathology and maladaptive behavior in adolescence and adulthood.” (Genuis, 1995).
Foster children are almost 9 times more likely than home reared children to evidence psychological disturbance. (McIntyre & Kessler, 1986).
Within the first year, 68% of children who age out of foster care system are in jail or dead. (Dr. Bruce Perry 2006)
80% of homeless in NY were foster children in late 1990’s. (Dave Thomas Foundation)
In 1997, 60% of inmates in Folsom prison were foster children. (Dave Thomas Foundation)
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Now a word about…
Reactive Attachment Disorder --
Before 5 years old
“grossly pathological care” -- disregard of both emotional and basic physical needs.
“fails to initiate and to respond to most social interactions in a developmentally appropriate way.” (either extreme)
Repeated changes in primary caregiver.
An extreme form of attachment disorder, “very uncommon” (DSM-IV)
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A more likely reality…
Healthy
AttachmentReactive
attachment
disorder
We each fall somewhere along a continuum
DSM-IV
Shouldn’t wait for here
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Attachment disorder symptoms may
include the following behaviors... (checklist approach)
Superficially charming
Lack of eye contact
Overly affectionate
Not cuddly
Control problems*
Destructive
Cruel to animals*
Chronic lying*
No impulse control*
Learning deficits
Lacks cause/effect thinking*
Lack of conscience*
Abnormal eating patterns
Poor peer relationships*
Preoccupied with fire, blood,
gore*
Nonsense questions/chatter
Demanding
Abnormal speech patterns
*may also be symptoms of ODD and Conduct Disorder
“David”
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The questions is always: To
whom & how is child attached?
Checklist doesn’t tell us about child/caregiver relationships.
Modern diagnosis of attachment disorders is not focused on whether foster children attach to their caregivers but how…
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Clinical Assessment of
Attachment Disorders
“Bonding Assessment”
A smorgasbord of evaluation procedures utilized to consider the relationship between a child and an actual or potential caretaker.” (Stokes & Strothman, 1996)
Consists of records, interviews, observations, tests
To determine best placement – which may be “least detrimental alternative.”
Return to parent not always a given because –
Parents not prepared to parent
Child is bonded with foster parents
Separation from foster parents may be another trauma for child
The longer the placement, the more likely the trauma of separation
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Child/age CP TIC CMs PLs Notes
F, 13 m. RTP 12 m. 1 1 7 m. to begin Compliance
M, 10 m. C: S&A 10 m. 2 2 11th hour comp. - No CM@ Review
M, 17 LTFC 9.75y 9 22 "Looking for relatives“ (from early PR)
F, 12 y (1) Adp/G-ma 3.4 y 3 2 Child vacillates re adopt (OK now)
F, 2 y (2) Adp/Place 18 m. 2 1 Concerns about safety in Adopt. Pl.
M, 11 m. Adp/Rel 11 m. 1 2 "S/not linger in system"
M, 10 m. Ad/Rel 10 m. 1 2 Mother SMR - w/ aunt (concerns)
M, 16 m. RTP 11 m. 2 1 CPS will rec. S&A (Adoption time)
M. 16 y. LTFC 8.5 y. 3 5 No PR, No CP, No CM *
M, 15 y LTFC 6.25 y 11 7 Loves GH, will run if placed (doing well)
M, 12m (1) RTP 5 m 1 1 Initial: "Grave Risk" - charges
F, 4 y (2) RTP 5 m 1 1 pending. 4 & 2 yo to be
F, 7 y (3) RTP 5 m 1 1 moved because of sexual
F, 10 y (4) RTP 5 m 1 1 acting out.
F, 15 m (1) G/G-ma 5 m 1 1 Initial: Bio Mom's 9th &
M, 28m (2) G/G-ma 5 m 1 1 10th child. G-ma has all.
M, 17.5 y LTFC 10 m. 1 4 "incorrigible“ No CM *
Recent FCRB Cases:
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How can we improve the
future for foster children?
Best interests of the child =
Primum non nocere
Rule #1:
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•We can change the status quo…
“For various reasons, biological families fail to demonstrate rapidly enough sufficient progress to allow their child to return to their care; as a result, their children stay in their foster family much longer than intended. The caseworker is then confronted with a major dilemma: Should a child who has developed a significant attachment to his or her foster parents return to the biological parents who have not progressed enough in their parental competencies or stay in the foster family on a long-term basis? In such situations, we have come to recommend permanence in the foster family.”
Gauthier, Fortin, and Jeliu, 2004
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Circumstances affecting
healthy attachment: Age of child.
…0-3 – critical neurological development
Child’s sense of time, …e.g., 6 mo. to a 2 year old…
Ability of child to express him/her self.
Number/length/severity of traumatic experiences
…from the reports.
…possibilities but not in reports.
…from number of previous placements.
Is this child healthily attached to placement …confidence in parents to risk another placement?
…Attachment to parents …were visitations adequate.
*How do we know about ANY of these relationships?
(“by report”?)
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Circumstances affecting
healthy attachment:(Continued)
…parent/kin/foster training to handle unique problems this child brings into care
…Child’s physical and emotional development
…Is there Concurrent case plan?
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Reducing the odds…
Use the experts: State Psychological Associations–
http://www.apa.org/practice/refer.html
Early Intervention programs
If doubt about FR, include concurrent of S&A
Place in Foster/Adopt home to provide continuity if FR fails.
Provide therapeutic foster training
Provide intermittent training as problems arise
Move children reluctantly
Find/Be a consistent person/situations for childFoster parent, CASA, family members, therapist,
schools, GS troops, church, etc.
Adoption communities like Hope Meadows
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Recommended Reading
Cournos, F. (1999). City of one: A memoir. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.
Courter, G. (2001). I speak for this child: True stories of a child advocate. Lincoln, Ne: iUniverse.com.
Dyer, F. (1999). Psychological consultation in parental rights case. New York: Guildford Press.
Dyer, F. (2004). Termination of parental rights in light of attachment theory: The Case of Kaylee. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 10(1/2), 5-30
Greenberg, M., Cicchetti, D., & Cummings, E. (1990). Attachment in the preschool years. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Heineman,T. & Ehrensaft, D. (2006). Building a home within: Meeting the emotional needs of children & youth in foster care. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
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Recommended Reading (2)
Jacobs, E. (2008). Will I ever see you again? Attachment challenges for foster children. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning. (Available on Amazon.com)
Mercer, J., Sarner, L., & Rosa, L. (2003). Attachment therapy on trial: The torture and death of Candace Newmaker. Westport CT: Praeger Publishing.
Pelzer, D. (1995). A child called "It": One child's courage to survive. Deerfield Beach Florida: Health Communications, Inc.
Pelzer, D. (1997). The lost boy: A foster child’s search for the love of a family. Deerfield Beach Florida: Health Communications, Inc.
Perry, B. (2005). Bonding and attachment in maltreated children. Available online: ww.childtraumaacademy.com
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Recommended Reading (3)
Perry, B. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog
and other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook:
What traumatized children can teach us about loss,
love, and healing. New York: Basic Books.
Rhodes-Courter, A. (2007). Three Little Words. New York:
Simon & Schuster
Smith, Wes. (2001). Hope Meadows: Real-life stories of
healing and caring from an inspiring community.
New York: Berkley Publishing.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, Ph.D.Glendale Community College North
Psychology Department
5727 W. Happy Valley Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85310
623.845.4188 (GCCN)
623.680.7606 (Cell)
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Thank you for your interest in watching this video! If you wish to receive CASA of Arizona training credit you are welcome to take a quiz. Passing scores will receive a certificate of completion. Go to: http://www.azcourts.gov/casa/Training/TrainingCourses/TrainingCourseExams.aspx