Product Code Database
Attachment Play is a term created by developmental psychologist, Aletha Solter and the title of one of her books.Solter, A. (2013). Attachment Play: How to Solve Children’s Behavior Problems with Play, Laughter, and Connection. Goleta, CA: Shining Star Press. It is one aspect of her Aware Parenting approach. The term refers to nine specific kinds of parent/child play that can strengthen attachment, solve behavior problems, and help children recover from traumatic experiences. These forms of play incorporate many traditional play therapy techniques as well as some newer ones.
Contingency play is an important activity in helping traumatized children feel empowered,Gunsberg, A. (1989). Empowering young abused and neglected children through contingency play. Childhood Education, Fall, 8-10. and the therapeutic value of separation games such as peek-a-boo has been recognized for decades.Fraiberg, S.H. (1959). The Magic Years: Understanding and Handling the Problems of Early Childhood. New York, MY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, Inc. Playful activities with body contact can strengthen parent/child attachment and meet children's need for touch, which reduces stress while stimulating growth and healing.Uvnäs-Moberg, K. / Petersson, M. (2005). Oxytocin, a mediator of anti-stress, well-being, social interaction, growth and healing. Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, 51(1), 57-80. Cooperative games and activities (with or without touch) are especially effective in fostering cooperative behavior in children.Bay-Hinitz, A.K. & Wilson, G.R. (2005). A cooperative games intervention for aggressive preschool children. In L.A. Reddy, T.M. Files-Hall, & C.E. Schaefer (Eds.), Empirically Based Play Interventions for Children (pp. 169-190). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Laughter is an important component of several of these forms of play. In addition to strengthening parent/child attachment, laughter can help reduce anxiety and strengthen the immune system.,Bennett, M.P. & Lengacher, C. (2006). Humor and laughter may influence health: II Complementary therapies and humor in a clinical population. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 3(2), 187-190.Wilkins, J. & Eisenbrown, A.J. (2009). Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter. Holistic Nursing Practice, 23(6), 349-354. Nonsense play (humor based on exaggeration, mistakes, or general silliness) has been shown to decrease a child's anxiety during medical interventions.Frankenfield, P.K. (1996). The power of humor and play as nursing interventions for a child with cancer: a case report. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 13(1), 15-20. Power-reversal play (such as a pillow fight in which the adult lets the child “win”) also involves laughter and can help to strengthen attachment while reducing anger and aggressive behavior.Pellegrini, A.D. & Perlmutter, J.C. (1988). The diagnostic and therapeutic roles of children’s rough-and-tumble play. Journal of Child Health Care, 16(3), 162-168.Cohen, L.J. (2001), Playful Parenting. New York, NY: Ballantine Publishing Group.
A controlled pilot study was conducted in Australia to evaluate the effectiveness of three kinds of Attachment Play in a brief parent education program. The researchers found that the program increased parents’ feelings of self-efficacyBaltrotsky, K., Bradbury, J., Rose, M., Grace, S., & Doran, F. (2022). DOI: 10.1080/07317107.2022.2141600 Evaluation of a Brief Attachment-Based Parenting Program: Aware Parenting. Child & Family Behavior Therapy. Another pilot study was done in Ireland to teach Attachment Play to social workers, who then trained parents to implement the approach with their children. The training helped parents engage playfully with children, strengthen attachment, enhance cooperation, reduce behavior problems, and avoid the use of punishment.O’Reilly, L. (2020). The Introduction of Attachment Play in Child and Family Social Work; Optimising Connection, Emotional Release, and Supporting Challenging Behavior. The Irish Social Worker, 67-76.
|
|
