Coaching Parents of Vulnerable Infants The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up Approach

This is the authoritative presentation of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC), the widely disseminated, evidence-based home-visiting intervention for parents of infants who have experienced adversity, such as homelessness, neglect, or institutional care. Vivid case examples--including one that runs throughout the book--illustrate the importance of responsive parenting for helping children develop secure attachments and key regulatory capacities. Over the course of 10 coaching sessions incorporating extensive in-the-moment comments and video feedback, ABC enhances parents' ability to follow their children’s lead, nurture when children are distressed, and avoid frightening behaviors. In a readable, accessible style, chapters describe adaptations for different populations (high-risk birth parents, foster parents, parents who have adopted internationally, and parents of toddlers) and provide guidelines for training and implementation.
 

Mary Dozier, PhD, is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Amy E. DuPont Chair in Child Development at the University of Delaware. Since the 1990s, she has studied the development of young children in foster care and those living with neglectful birth parents. Dr. Dozier developed the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention and is currently conducting randomized clinical trials examining ABC's effectiveness with high-risk birth children, foster children, and internationally adopted children. She served on the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, was an associate editor of Child Development, and serves on a number of advisory and editorial boards. Dr. Dozier is a recipient of the Translational Research Award from the International Congress on Infant Studies, the Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution in Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the American Psychological Association, and the Francis Alison Faculty Award from the University of Delaware, the University's highest faculty honor.
 
Kristin Bernard, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stony Brook University. As Director of the Developmental Stress and Prevention Lab, she is interested in how early-life stress influences children’s neurobiological and behavioral development and how optimal caregiving and preventative interventions may buffer at-risk children from problematic outcomes. As a graduate student, Dr. Bernard worked with Mary Dozier on the development and evaluation of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC), and delivered the intervention as a parent coach. She continues to collaborate with Dr. Dozier and her team on evaluations of ABC's efficacy and is leading dissemination efforts in New York City in collaboration with Power of Two and the Administration for Children’s Services. Dr. Bernard is a recipient of the Excellence in Attachment Research Dissertation Award from the Society for Emotion and Attachment Studies and was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science.
 

1. Introduction to Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up
2. Attachment
3. Development of the ABC Intervention
4. ABC for High-Risk Birth Parents
5. ABC for Foster Parents
6. ABC for Parents Adopting Internationally
7. ABC for Parents of Toddlers
8. The Evidence Base for ABC
9. Intervention Fidelity
10. Disseminating ABC
11. Other Interventions Targeting Sensitive Parenting
12. Power of Two
13. Fostering Relationships, with Caroline K. P. Roben
14. Future Directions