What are the Child
Development Issues?
The recent case concerning a black infant in foster care with
a white family has been the focus of controversy among people who
care about the well-being of children. Much of the concern has
been voiced by child psychologists because of "attachment
issues." What are the issues? What difference will it make
in the long run?
Briefly, the facts of the case are:
Baby D was placed in a foster home when she was four days old.
Her foster family grew to love her and decided to adopt her. When
she was 18 months old, her grandparents from another state asked
for custody. They had cared for the child's siblings and felt she
should with them. Minnesota law, The Minority Heritage
Preservation Act, gives preference to relatives and same-race
families in minority adoptions.
The disagreement began. One side spoke in favor of the child
being raised with family members to assure her racial/ethnic
identity. The other side argued that separating her from the only
family she has known, where she has formed secure attachments,
may result in serious psychological problems. The court ruled for
the grandparents. The case is being appealed because of concern
about the long term effects of separating this child from the
family with whom she had formed a loving "attachment
relationship."
This Fact Sheet answers the following questions:
Why is attachment important?
How does attachment develop?
What are the long-term effects?
Are there implications for policy-makers?
Why is the Attachment
Relationship Important?
Babies are phenomenal. From birth they automatically respond
to the world in certain ways -- tickle their cheeks and they turn
their heads and suck, usually toward a source of food! Around six
months, babies begin to consolidate special relationships with
the adults who take care of them. This attachment develops
gradually and is established by the end of the first year. (This
is in contrast to bonding, which describes a parent's immediate
response to a child, often in the delivery room.)
Once attachment has been established, the adult becomes very
important to the child. Separations from that special adult are
very difficult, especially if they are lengthy or permanent. For
the young child, such a loss is a major emotional upheaval
because he/she does not yet have the intellectual ability to
understand what is happening. Usually, this important first
relationship continues throughout life. It sets the stage for
future development -- the child gains a sense of confidence and
self-worth, and begins to understand how intimate relationships
work.
All children become attached to adult caregiver(s). What is
significant is that some kinds of attachment are
"better" than others. Babies with "secure"
attachments tend to be better equipped emotionally to deal with
life than babies with "anxious" attachments.
How Does Attachment Develop?
The "ingredients" of attachment are:
- the behaviors of the adult who physically cares for and
is emotionally involved with the baby (typically mom, but
could be dad, grandma, nanny, etc.), and
- the development of the baby's intellectual ability to
understand his feelings and his interactions with his
world.
The "recipe" for secure attachments includes
caregivers who are generally sensitive and responsive to the
baby's needs. When a baby cries, a responsive caregiver tries to
discover what the baby needs -- to be fed, held, or to have a
diaper changed. These babies see the world as predictable and
sensible.
Babies with anxious attachments have caregivers who are
unresponsive, inappropriate, or inconsistent, who may ignore the
baby's cry or feed the baby regardless of the baby's need. These
babies learn that adults are not dependable and that, if adults
do not meet their needs, they -- the babies -- must not be very
competent.
What are the Long-term Effects of
the Attachment Relationship?
We know that the kind of attachment a child has formed by age
one can predict some future behavior. Longitudinal research of a
group of children for more than twelve years provides clear
evidence about what these children are like at age twelve.
Interesting differences exist between children who had secure
versus anxious attachments. Children with secure early
attachments are more likely in later years to:
- be better problem-solvers
- form friendships and be leaders with peers - be more empathic
and less aggressive
- engage their world with confidence
- have higher self-esteem
- be better at resolving conflict
- be more self-reliant and adaptable
In contrast, children with anxious attachments are more likely
in later years to:
- be socially withdrawn from peers
- be overly dependent on adults, (e.g., teachers) - have lower
self-confidence
- victimize or be victimized by peers
- form fewer friendships
- be less emotionally healthy
These behaviors, predicted earlier, fit theories of attachment
well. Attachment theory and preliminary research also supports
predictions about a person's ability to provide high or low
quality parenting.
Theories of attachment related to later outcomes are, however,
not cast in stone. Anxiously attached children are not doomed to
fail and securely attached children are not guaranteed success.
Certainly, if the quality of care is consistent (a responsive
mother remains responsive or a child whose needs have been
ignored continues to receive insensitive responses) the patterns
will persist. However, a child's world can change; life can get
better or can get worse, thereby changing the course of the
child's development and ability to cope with ordinary and
extraordinary stress. For example, separation from an important
caregiver can influence the way a child interprets future
relationships and experiences.
What Will Happen to Baby D?
No one can predict for sure what will happen to Baby D.
In terms of relationships, we know the key elements in a
secure attachment are the caregiver's responsiveness and
availability. A change in the child's environment that alters
these can put the child at risk.
If Baby D has a secure attachment with her foster parents and
her grandparents continue to meet her needs, she will probably do
well. Secure attachment makes such transitions easier. However,
the disruption of the relationship with her foster parents may
cause so much anxiety that she will have difficulty dealing with
stress, even adjusting to her new family.
In terms of cultural identity, very early issues of identity
relate to finding oneself as a separate individual among other
people. However, as Baby D develops and becomes increasingly
aware of differences in culture, race, and ethnic values, she may
have difficulty establishing her own personal identity as a black
person if she is living in a white family, in a white community.
Thus the situation is not simple. Ethnic identity and
community acceptance are important to the well being of the
child. But so is a history of continuous, responsive care. One
cannot be measured against the other. Those who make decisions
for and about children like Baby D must understand the
consequences of these decisions.
What are the Implications for
Policymakers?
Decisions about foster care placement, child care, adoption,
and child abuse should be considered in light of what is known
about attachment. For example, when children are moved from one
foster care placement to another and another, they experience
repeated or unresolved losses of adults with whom they have begun
attachment relationships. Not only is the foster care system
strained, but the children are at serious risk for developmental
problems. They are often children who had poor relationships as
infants and, due to their emotional problems, are very difficult
for foster parents to handle.
In studies of child care it has been found that infants form
attachment relationships to their day care providers as well as
their parents. The quality of those relationships and the stress
of disrupted relationships, can be very influential. There is
evidence that poor quality infant day care can have a detrimental
effect on the development of a child's attachment relationship
with the parents.
This case raises questions for states other than Minnesota.
For example, a 1985 case in Michigan prompted revision of their
adoption law. The changes are: once a child has been in foster
placement for 45 days, he cannot be moved for reasons of race. If
a child has been in a foster home for over a year, foster parents
are given first preference in adoption. If a relative seeks
adoption at this point, the court must consider which placement
would be in the best interest of the child.
Fact Find suggests policy changes that
will:
- encourage strong efforts by social service agencies to
recruit minority foster parents
- require social service agencies to seek relatives to provide
care when children must be removed from their own homes -minimize
the number of changes in foster placement and day care staff
turnover
- require those who work with children in the child protection
system (e.g., social workers, guardians ad litem, lawyers,
judges, etc.) to have some training in child development -provide
appropriate training for foster care and day care providers.
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1991 issue (3rd of 3
issues)