Most children develop early-age secure emotional attachments to their caregivers. They demonstrate good anxiety and relief when their caregiver is not present.
However, some infants develop attachment disorders because their caregivers cannot meet their needs. They can not bond with their caregivers and struggle to develop any kind of emotional attachment.
Disorders of attachment can be treated, but early intervention is important. Kids with attachment disorders can experience ongoing problems throughout their lives without treatment.
Importance of Attachment
Repeated positive experiences with a caregiver help to create a safe attachment for children. When an adult responds by feeding, changing, or rocking her to a baby’s cries, the baby learns that she can trust the adult to keep her safe and care for her needs.
Securely attached children tend to:
- Build better relations with others
- Fix issues more easily
- Try and explore new things independently
- Have fewer extreme stress responses
Children with adverse or unpredictable reactions to a caregiver may create an insecure style of attachment. They may see adults as unreliable and may not have easy confidence in them.
Insecurely attached children tend to:
- Show anger, fear, and anxiety
- Refusing to engage with others
- Exaggerate distress
- Avoid People
Cause Of Attachment Disorder
The most common cause is when the child is ignored or neglected by her parents or caregiver, e.g. when a baby shouts, is too long hungry or wet without anyone reacting to the baby feels abandoned. This manifests itself over time and could become severe as time progresses, leaving the child with the knowledge that they can not depend on others. Another possible reason for this could be physical or sexual abuse during adolescence. They begin to feel that the world is an unsafe place to watch their every move, and there is the fear of getting to understand others and letting them get near.
A person with a disorder of attachment deeply wishes love and affection, but can not well depict these desires. The adverse experiences they suffered in early childhood lead to denial and fail to comprehend the feelings they need such as love and attachment.
Types Of Attachment Disorder
Children with attachment problems may create two possible disorder kinds:
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
- Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder.
1 Reactive Attachment Disorder:
Due to adverse experiences with adults in their early years, children with RAD are less likely to communicate with other individuals. They have difficulty calming down when stressed and when they are upset they don’t seek comfort from their caregivers. When interacting with others, these kids may seem to have little to no feelings. They may seem dissatisfied, irritable, sad, or frightened with their caretaker while having ordinary operations. RAD is diagnosed when symptoms become chronic.
2 Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder:
Children with DSED do not seem to be afraid when they first meet someone. They may be too friendly to speak to, or even hug them, strangers. Younger kids can enable strangers to take them, feed them or play with toys. They don’t check with their parents or caregivers when these kids are put in a strange situation, and they often go with someone they don’t know.
Treatment:
Children with RAD or DSED signs require an exhaustive psychiatric evaluation and a personal therapy plan. Baby and family both should be involved in treatment. Therapists aim to understand the connection between a baby and its main carers and to strengthen it. Such circumstances can influence the social and emotional growth of a child without therapy. Role-playing is another technique that helps in the therapy of adult attachment disorder. Most importantly, someone with an attachment disorder can trust a friend or family member and eventually open up a much-needed, honest connection with them.
Reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder are severe clinical conditions. However, close and continuous cooperation between the family of the child and the therapy team will improve the probability of good results.
Also Read: Is Your Child Suffering From Behavioral Disorder?
