Attachment Disorder in Children

Attachment Disorders are some of the most serious diagnosis that children receive. If they fail to bond with their parent(s) at the beginning of life they may refuse physical sustenance and not survive. If they initially achieve but then lose this closeness they are likely to be incapable of having meaningful relationships later in life. If they accomplish this closeness but they are fragile or prematurely lost, the child later in life will be capable of having a relationship with difficulty. Children and their care givers should consistently be in counseling with the goal of maximizing what ever closeness is available to the child and assisting the child to also maximize their capacity for attaching. As the child grows and develops, appropriate figures may include parents, siblings, relatives neighbors, teachers and peers. The ideal course of counseling would be based on a relational approach. The therapist is focused on the process of relating to the child in a nurturing fashion while helping the child to accept the nurturance. The content of the session is likely to be a review of the child’s recent activities and events. The parents or caregivers would be counseled to utilize structure, consistency and positive methods of discipline.