Assignment: Parental Responsiveness

Story:

Before my first child was born, I studied child development. I learned the importance of responsive caregiving. I learned that I would soon be able to read my baby's cries. I would know what was wrong and what I could do by the sound of the cry. After my baby was born, I responded quickly when he cried. To my surprise, I had difficulty calming him. I realized I did not always know what was wrong by the sound of his cry. I became very frustrated and decided that if my baby was dry, fed, and not tired. I would just let him cry it out. I didn't know what else to do.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1. Explain how Behaviorism, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Attachment Theory suggest handling this situation and predict what would be each likely outcome.

2. Explain what the research says regarding how parents should react to the cries of a child.

3. Assess the behavior of the mother in supporting secure attachment.

4. Identify the characteristics that a baby could have that may disrupt the attachment process.

5. Suggest a solution that is supported by research and theory.

6. Use at least four (4) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.