Secure parentchild attachment is essential to healthy development and well-beingbut for young children with disabilities or developmental delays, forming these foundational early relationships can be challenging. The first attachment-focused resource for EI professionals, this groundbreaking book is your complete guide to the why and how of helping families improve the attachment security of children with disabilities.Written in an engaging, conversational style and firmly rooted in EI best practice, this accessible resource delivers practical, evidence-informed strategies for enhancing parentchild relationships in the critical early years. Whether youre an in-service or preservice professional, youll use this books candid insights and real-world guidance to strengthen your practice and build brighter futures for young children and families.
Read This Book To:
Learn why attachment mattersand how it affects outcomes in childhood and beyond Enhance your understanding of children with disabilities and their challenges in forming secure caregiverchild relationships Develop deeply engaged and respectful partnerships with families to support secure attachment and child development Apply helpful tools and best-practice principles for informal, natural assessment of attachment Implement strategies to support the development of positive parentchild relationships Develop skills in reflective practice and work with diverse families in culturally responsive ways
About the AuthorForeword by Robin McWilliam
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Time Machine (Why Attachment Matters in Early Childhood
Intervention)
Chapter 1: Background and Overview: Why This Book Exists and Why You Should
Read It
Chapter 2: Disability and Developmental Delay: Challenges to the Development
of Secure Attachment
Chapter 3: How to Support Secure Attachment in Early Childhood Intervention
(ECI)
Chapter 4: Key Elements of Family-Professional Relationships That Support
Secure Attachment
Chapter 5: Assessing Attachment: Best-Practice Principles for Informal,
Natural Observations
Chapter 6: Cultural Considerations: What to Know When Working with Families
to Support Parent-Child Attachment Security
Chapter 7: Intervention Practices and Strategies That Support the Development
of Secure Attachment
Chapter 8: Supporting Those Who Offer Support: Self-Care, Self-Reflection,
and Adult Attachment Styles
Chapter 9: The Bigger Picture: You, Me, and the System Providing ECI
Glossary
List of Abbreviations
List of Links
References
Index
Stacey Alexander, Ph.D., is a psychologist who has had a career-long interest in child behavior, parentchild relationships, and professional practice. Currently the Senior Manager of Services at Noah's Ark Australia, a specialist organization that provides early childhood intervention and inclusion support, Stacey is focused on how professionals can improve the attachment security of children living with disability or developmental delay.
