ABC Intervention Module

Question: What the term ABC intervention is. Describe its use as a strategy in early childhood? Answer: Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up is a manualized intervention that incorporates homework, video feedback, and the parent coachs use comments that target the behaviour of the caregiver of nurturance, delight, following the lead, and non-frightening behaviours (Fenichel, 2002). The first intervention component of ABC seeks to help caregivers to re-enter the behavioural signals of the child so that they can provide nurturance at the right time. Nurturance often does not come naturally. However, a child who has experienced early adversity particularly needs nurturing care. For this reason, this intervention makes it easy for caregivers to provide nurturing care whether it comes naturally or not. The second intervention component focuses on those children who have experienced early adversity and are dysregulated both biologically and behaviourally. This intervention helps caregivers to provide a predictable environment that helps to stabilize the childs behaviour and regulate capabilities. The third intervention component enables caregivers to decrease behaviours that could be frightening to the young one (Berlin, 2007). I once saw a child who had been in a non-responsive and not predictable environment (a dark house) for three years. This child developed a challenging behaviour. When ABC intervention was used, the childs behaviour improved appropriately. For this reason, a parent whose children experience challenging behaviour should use this intervention. When children find themselves in unpredictable environments for a long time, this affects their behavior, and there is no better way to help them out of this mess other than exposing them to responsive and predictable environments. References Berlin, L. J. (2007). Enhancing early attachments: theory, research, intervention, and policy. New York: Guilford. Fenichel, E. E. (2002). Agents of Change in Foster Care for Infants and Toddlers. Zero to Three.