The Birth of Attachment Disorders.

by Anna Glendenning | More from this Blogger

19 Mar 2006 07:50 AM

A baby starts to learn how to attach within hours following birth. A newborn infant sleeps in comfort and then becomes upset because of being hungry, too hot or too cold, or a wet diaper. The baby's caregiver feeds the baby, adjusts the clothing, and changes the baby's diaper all the while stroking, talking to, and making eye contact with the baby. Within a few repetitions of this routine the baby very quickly learns that he or she will be taken care of. Trust is established and the baby soon recognizes the caregiver and responds with smiles and coos causing the caregiver to bond with the baby and a relationship is built.

Babies who are denied consistent care or don't perceive that care is being given miss out on the recurring cycle of feeling cared for and become apprehensive and afraid. If prolonged trust of care is absent, a baby may resorts to the next best solution; if no one else will protect them, then they will do it themselves. The baby establishes a pattern of self-parenting, and attachment disorders may develop.

A self-parenting child is anxious, angry, isolated and lonely. Multiple caretakers no matter how competent are devastating to an infant's healthy development. Very young babies can cope with some shifting but, eventually the investing and losing, investing and losing causes a child to give up hope. When this happens a little one can suffer profound emotionally changes.

Infants born drug affected or very ill may suffer from prolonged stays in the hospital and may spend time with a parent unable to meet their needs. Young babies placed in the foster care system invariable experience moves because of unavoidable circumstances including the possibility of several returns to their birthparents before parental rights are terminated. A child moved routinely through even the finest foster homes in the nation may develop some degree of an attachment disorder.

Parents adopting any baby other then a newborn should understand attachment and the issues that cause attachment disorders as well as ways to help their child overcome and learn to accept and attach with their parents.

Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms: A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

For more information about parenting special needs children you might want to visit the Families.com Special Needs Blog and the Mental Health Blog. Or visit my personal website.

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Learn more about Anna Glendenning

Anna Glendenning is a mother of four. Two biological children grown and out of college, and two siblings and adopted together in 2003. Anna's Personal Website http://www.adoptiveparentsnetwork.

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Nicole Humphrey (15757) 20 Mar 2006 12:44 AM

Anna - well written informative article. I always find even the negative aspects of adoption fascinating. (not necessarily in a good way!) I am an adoptee who searched and found. I thankfully did not have attachment disorder but in the process of my search I met several who had. GREAT article.

Anna Glendenning (4234) 20 Mar 2006 05:34 PM

Thank you. My biological children are now 21 and 22 and their father is an adoptee. We were together for 14 years and I understand some of the feelings he had. He just reunited with his birth parents who are married to each other! My biological children have just found out the other half of their genetics and it has been so interesting.

I don't believe their father had an attachment disorder. I think that when planning to adopt we tried to minimize the possibility in our own hearts. The truth is that the slightly older child even a few months old, does need some special kinds of care and parenting skills.

Most adopted people do NOT have attachment disorders, many may have at one time had attachment difficulties, and over came them. Attachment is serious but, achievable even with a very traumatized child.