WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT “ATTACHMENT DISORDERS” IN CHILDHOOD

Journal Title: Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation - Year 2013, Vol 14, Issue 3

Abstract

Current nosology describes reactive attachm­ent disorder as represented by two distinct disorders: reactive attachment disorder, characterized by markedly inhibited and emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, minimally seeking comfort or minimally responding to comfort in time of distress, and disinhibited social engagement disorder, which is represented by an indiscriminate social behavior, sanctioned from culture and which crosses social boundaries, in the presence of unfamiliar adults. Both disorders, despite their different phenotypes, are caused by a pathogenic caregiving environment, repeated changes of attachment figures, social neglect and deprivation in the first years of life. The article examines recent diagnostic criteria reported in the literature comparing diag­nostic classifications and attempting to understand the etiology of the disorder. Unresolved questions exist in current nosology, which means that the quality of the evidence supporting the diagnostic criteria needs to be improved. This review concludes that, despite the currently available diagnostic classifications, future longitudinal studies should be conducted to assess the evolution of reactive attachment disorder over the time and to discriminate its features from other psychopathologies.

Authors and Affiliations

Patrizia VELOTTI| Department of Educational Sciences, Universityof Genova, Simona DI FOLCO| Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Simona DI FOLCO| Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome

Keywords

Related Articles

3RD OF DECEMBER – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Faithful to the tradition, this year’s International Day of People with Disabilities was appropriately marked by the Faculty of Philosophy, organized by the Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation. The event be...

EVALUATION OF THE LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIONAL SKILLS OF PERSONS WITH BROCA’S APHASIA AS A CONCOMITANCE FROM CEREBROVASCULAR INSULT

Persons with Broca’s aphasia socialize in society much faster, because of the early rehabilitation treatment using the speech therapy. In the beginning of the illness, the voice production is arduous and the speech is wi...

USING QUALITATIVE APPROACH IN SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

The text deals with some methodological problems in special education research. The limits of purely positivistic, quantitative, experimental research in the area of special education lately are overcome with the use of...

ABOUT DEFECTOLOGY OF MULTIPLY HANDICAP

This paper is arrange a theory of defectology of multiply hanicap. The paper show a historical development, definitions, klassifications, clinical image and treatment of multiply handicaped persons.

EARLY TREATMENT AS FUNDAMENT FOR SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFICULTIES IN THE ENVIRONMENT WITH CHILDREN AT THE SAME PRE-SCHOOL AGE

It is stressed that the child with it’s dynamic and progressive course in which all the processes of maturing and growth are performed, is always possible to have some declines, obstacles and impairments, which can be b...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP7929
  • DOI -
  • Views 446
  • Downloads 35

How To Cite

Patrizia VELOTTI, Simona DI FOLCO, Simona DI FOLCO (2013). WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT “ATTACHMENT DISORDERS” IN CHILDHOOD. Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation, 14(3), 61-77. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-7929