ABC
(Attachment Biobehavioral Catch-Up):
Infants and toddlers who have experienced early life stressors (such as neglect and changes in caregivers) face a number of challenges in forming trusting attachments with parents and in developing adequate regulatory strategies.
Sensitive caregiving, which is critical for optimal development, can buffer the negative effects of adversity and foster resiliency in families and infants. Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up is a program that targets attachment and regulatory challenges that can result from stressful experiences in infancy and early childhood, building on families’ strengths.
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up for Infants (ABC-I) is a 10-12 session program that addresses three primary issues.
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First, young children who have experienced early life stressors are especially in need of nurturance.
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Second, young children who have experienced life stressors need parents who follow their lead and delight in them.
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Third, it is important that parents avoid behaving in frightening ways because frightening behavior is dysregulating to young children.
Therefore, ABC-I helps parents learn to: 1) respond in nurturing ways when children are distressed; 2) follow the lead with delight when children are not distressed; and 3) avoid behaving in frightening or intrusive ways.
This 10-12 session program is conducted weekly virtually in families’ homes or in person at the office. The sessions last approximately 60 minutes and are optimally scheduled at times when children are at home and can participate in the sessions. Other individuals in the home (e.g., other caregivers, partners, siblings) are welcome to join in the sessions. Sessions are video recorded for playback to families.
ABC-I is intended for infants from 6 - 24 months of age and their parents or other caregivers.
To learn more about this model, please refer to HERE
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