How can the findings of an Attachment Evaluation be helpful?
The benefits of having an Attachment Evaluation are that any problems with a caregiver-child attachment can be addressed early on and, with the guidance of a clinician trained in attachment therapies, attachment weaknesses can be strengthened—which is beneficial for all. In some rare instances, it is recommended that a child and caregiver have no contact until therapeutic interventions have been willingly engaged in by either or both child and caregiver.
What are the risks of having an Attachment Evaluation?
The risks of having an Attachment Evaluation are that sometimes the party requesting (and paying for) the Evaluation do not receive their preferred results. When requesting an Attachment Evaluation, all parties must be aware that the clinician can only report what is observed and corroborated by assessments. Prior to agreeing to participate in an Evaluation, all adult parties must sign an Informed Consent which will clarify how the results may be used, who has access to the results, and agree to the limits of what the Evaluation may provide.
An Attachment Evaluation may be used in court proceedings and the clinician conducting the Evaluation may be subpoenaed to testify and respond to questions by attorneys and judges if there are ongoing legal proceedings regarding visitation, custody, or placement of the child.
*No portion of Attachment Evaluation will be video recorded without the explicit written permission of all parties involved. For example, the adult(s) participating in the Evaluation must consent to video recording, and any and all legal guardians of the child must also consent. Once the Evaluation report has been made, the video recording will be destroyed within 60 days with no possibility of recovery—unless the clinician is ordered by a court to retain the recording. Attachment Evaluations may be successfully conducted without video recording.
What is an Attachment Evaluation?
An Attachment Evaluation involves the careful and skillful observation of the existence, strength, and classification of the attachment relationship between a child and a caregiver. Attachments do not form immediately. They take time to form and be classified by trained professionals. The type of attachment a child develops with a caregiver is dependent upon many things, but mostly, it is determined by the consistent (or inconsistent) responses of the caregiver. Thus, the child learns to adapt their behaviors to the expected or usual responses of the caregiver, many times in subtle and nuanced ways that are not easily detected in casual observations. Obviously, no caregiver responds exactly the same way in every circumstance, but children are “little statisticians” and they quickly learn how to calculate the probability of a caregiver’s reactions or responses in certain situations. Based on their predictions, children adapt their behaviors, sometimes in unhealthy or undesirable ways which can lead to relational challenges.
What happens during an Evaluation?
During an Evaluation, which takes about 3-4 hours, the clinician will observe, take many notes, and prompt the child and caregiver to engage in specific activities designed to elicit attachment behaviors (which are also carefully observed and noted). If allowed, the child and caregiver interactions may be video recorded.* The child and caregiver will be separated for some time to engage in individual interviews and activities. The caregiver will be required to complete a set of written assessments at home and will need to return them via mail or confidential email scans for scoring. These assessments are for corroboration and/or confirmation of what is observed during the Evaluation.
The child’s history of attachment disruptions and any other traumas or neurodivergencies are considered when drawing conclusions about his attachment classification. The caregiver’s own attachment history is also considered carefully, as well as the amount of time the child and caregiver have had to form an attachment. Sometimes, the attachment has not yet fully developed, but there are clear signs of an “attachment-in-the-making” which can be observed and classified.
Once an Evaluation is completed, assessments are scored, and conclusions are drawn, the clinician will describe the findings and what they might mean in this specific situation with this particular child-caregiver dyad. Recommendations for moving forward are made always with the best interests of the child in mind.