Positive Behavioural Intervention for Toddlers: Parent-Child Attunement Therapy

• NCJ Number: 209771
• Journal: Child Abuse Review Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: March-April 2005 Pages: 132-151
• Author(s): Stefan C. Dombrowski; Susan G. Timmer; Dawn M. Blacker; Anthony J. Urquiza
• Date Published: March 2005
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

The purpose of this study was to introduce parent-child attunement therapy (PCAT) and examine its effectiveness by looking at the case of a 23-month-old maltreated toddler and his biological mother.

Abstract

Parent-child attunement therapy, or PCAT, is promising intervention for maltreated toddlers aged 12-30 months and toddlers experiencing attachment difficulties. PCAT is adapted from parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), a parent skills training program that has a solid research basis and uses therapist coaching of caregivers through a bug-in-the-ear device and a two-way mirrored window; and like PCIT, it focuses on enhancing the caregiver-child relationship by improving the toddler’s behavior. This study introduces PCAT by examining its effectiveness with a 23-month-old maltreated toddler and his biological mother. The child was separated from his mother at birth due to her incarceration and was reunited with his parents and siblings at 22 months. Shortly after, the child was referred to the University of California, Davis Children’s Hospital for court-mandated PCAT following concerns about temper tantrums, aggression towards his younger sister, and head banging when his parents set limits on his behavior. Five measures were used to evaluate the effectiveness of PCAT in this case study: the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist; Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System; Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory; the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form; and the Emotional Availability Scales. The results of this single case study suggest that PCAT with this toddler was successful, increasing the number of positive caregiver-toddler interactions and improving the emotional availability of the parent-child dyad. Practitioners will be able to use the techniques described in this study to improve the parent-toddler relationship and reduce many commonly experienced behavioral difficulties found among maltreatment-prone parent-toddler dyads. References, figures, tables