Enhancing executive functioning among toddlers in foster care with an attachment-based intervention

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Children in foster care face adversity, increasing risks for executive functioning deficits.
• Early caregiving instability negatively impacts self-regulatory development in young children.
• Executive functioning is crucial for academic and social-emotional success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up for Toddlers (ABC-T) intervention.
• To assess the impact of ABC-T on executive functioning in toddlers in foster care.
• To compare outcomes between foster children receiving ABC-T, a control intervention, and low-risk children.

Main Methods:

• 173 parent-toddler dyads were assigned to ABC-T, a control intervention, or a low-risk group.
• The ABC-T intervention focused on promoting responsive parenting to enhance child self-regulation.
• Executive functioning was assessed at age 48 months using parent-report (Child Behavior Checklist) and a cognitive task (Dimensional Change Card Sort).

Main Results:

• Foster children receiving the ABC-T intervention showed fewer parent-reported attention problems.
• Children in the ABC-T group demonstrated greater cognitive flexibility compared to the control group.
• Outcomes for the ABC-T group were comparable to low-risk children from intact families.

Conclusions:

• The attachment-based ABC-T intervention is effective in enhancing executive functioning in toddlers in foster care.
• Targeted interventions can mitigate the negative effects of early adversity on child development.
• Promoting secure attachment and responsive caregiving supports crucial cognitive skills in vulnerable populations.