Keywords

attachment, international adoption, orphanage, relationships, social-emotional development

 

Authors

  1. Wilson, Samantha L. PhD

Abstract

The child-caregiver relationship has long been recognized as crucial to social-emotional functioning and later development. Specifically, the consistency with which caregivers interact with young children in warm, supportive ways is related to optimal early development. This may be especially critical in the families formed by international adoption, wherein at least one early relationship had been disrupted. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the importance of attachment within the early years and its subsequent role in child development while assisting speech-language pathologists to recognize and inquire about early attachment relationships.