Attachment Disorder

Attachment disorder is based on the psychological theories that

1. Normal mother-child attachment forms in the first two years of life; and
2. If a normal attachment is not formed during the first two to three years, attachment can be induced later.

Attachment disorder is a term that is often seen in the research literature (O'Connor & Zeanah) but which is much broader than the clinical diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder, which is described in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual, 4th Edition, Technical Revision, of the American Psychiatric Association.

This theory (Attachment Theory) is used, for example, to explain the behavioral difficulties of children who have experienced chronic early maltreatment, such as foster and adopted children.

Attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby in the 1940s and 1950s and is the leading theory used in the fields of Infant Mental Health, Child Development, and related fields. It is a well researched theory that describes how the attachment relationship develops, why it is crucial to later healthy development, and what are the effects of early maltreatment or other disruptions in this process.

When we consider the Attachment Cyle, we think about the baby sleeping, the baby awakens and cries, the caregiver responds to the baby's need, the baby returns to sleep.  When attachment is disrupted, because the caregiver doesn't respond, there is a high potential for the baby to develop attachment disorders.  Below is a youtube presentation on the Still Face Experiment.  It verifies how quickly the child feels distress with the caregiver becomes unavailable.