[nancynic]

The human personality is extablished from birth. A child's story is based on early attachment and development of trust and affects his/her childhood and adulthood. Infants who have their needs met are more cooperative and less aggressive. As these children grow, they are more competent and sympathetic when they interact with peers. In free play they have longer concentration and interest and are more enthusiastic and persistent in problem solving situations.

John Bowlby, an English psychiatrist first posited traditional attachment theory. He noticed a young child's response to loss resulted in the following behaviors:

anger and rage
depression and despair
detachment from people and the environment

Many foster and adoptive parents say that they have been able to form bonds with very young infants with lots of affection, holding and meeting basic needs of feeding, cuddling, changing and affectionate interaction. The younger the infant, the more likely their ability to form attachments and begin to trust their environments.

Have you had experiences with infants and children who had difficulty responding to you care? Is so, let us know what that was like and how you dealt with it.

Thanks,
Nancy