Attachment in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

By Samantha J. Teague, K. Gray, Bruce J. Tonge, L. Newman. 2017

101 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract This paper aims to synthesise the literature on attachment in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), highlighting gaps in current research and applications for clinical practice. The research databases PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, and the Cochrane Library were searched for the terms “autism” and “attachment”. Forty papers investigating attachment in children with ASD were identified and narratively reviewed. Seven samples were identified that reported attachment classifications using the Strange Situation Paradigm, with an average of 47% of children with ASD classified as secure (n = 186). With research to date concluding that children with ASD can form secure attachments, studies are now looking at risk and protective factors in the development of attachment, correlates of attachment, attachment disorders in children with ASD, and attachment-based interventions for children with ASD. Many of these studies are preliminary investigations with contradictory findings reported, highlighting important directions for future research.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Mental health

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/872de1e3531c7a85534f9f79a8ba521615366569