Attachment, Brain Development, and Trauma in Children

by Jane F. Gilgun

Attachment and trauma affect brain development from infancy to old age. This article brings together up-to-date information on attachment, trauma, and brain development in childhood from many different sources and article emphasizes the importance of secure attachment in optimal brain development.

The article not only describes how attachment and trauma affect brain development, but it also provides guidelines for parents and professionals. The article is in two parts. The first in on neurobiology and child development and the second is on trauma and child development. Together this information will be helpful to parents and professionals. A reading list is at the end of Part 2.

16 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2015

About the author

I'm a professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. My most recent book is I Want to Show You: A Memoir in Poems, published in May 2008.

Written in imagist, lyric, and narrative styles, these poems convey the rhythms of a life fully lived--the sharp, often painful intrusions of beauty, the transcendence of erotic love, the fears and intrigue of bodily changes over time, the horror of violence, and the warmth and comfort of everyday life.

You can browse the entire book or buy it at http://www.lulu.com/content/2350136.

I also am the author of On Being a Shit: Unkind Deeds and Cover-Ups in Everyday Life, published in April 2008. Inspired by Harry Frankfurt's bestseller On Bullshit and my own long-term research on violence, this book is a humorous look at a serious topic.

After years of interviewing violent felons, I saw that they have all kinds of ways of covering up their unkind deeds, including blaming others, acting innocent, playing on the sympathy of others. I saw victims take the blame and suffer enormously for that.

After a while, I began to see that we all do unkind deeds and try to cover-up, at least sometimes. After reading Harry Frankfurt's book, I decided to write my own. Frankfurt is a philosopher and so he wrote a philosophical essay. I am a researcher. I therefore developed an testing a theory of being a shit.

You can browse the entire book at http://www.lulu.com/content/1151441. Or buy it for yourself or for your put-upon relatives and friends. An ideal gift for that troublesome co-worker.

Reviews

[H.A. Leuschel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, up to date article on the subject of childhood trauma with some interesting neurological facts thrown in and an extensive bibliography.

[Eleanor Sturdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introductory information

This short book is a clear and useful introduction to the area. It doesn't go into detail but does explain that children's behaviour may be misunderstood when they have past trauma , especially if this has happened in their early years. Helpfully, it also points out how strong and adaptable adults need to be when relating to such children.

[Teresa004 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much information

I was disappointed how short the book was and how little information it contained. I wouldn't recommend this book to be honest.

[Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and concise.