Systemic-attachment formulation for families of children with autism

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Playing the \u27Blame Game\u27: Accounting and the construction of disruptive behaviour in family interviews

Systemic conceptualisations suggest that family processes which involve blaming and holding the child accountable for their behaviour play an important role in the maintenance of disruptive behaviour problems. Discourse analytic work in family therapy settings has shown that accountability for the family’s reported problems is a key concern for family members. This study used a conversation analytic (CA) approach to examine family members’ accounts of child disruptive behaviour. The two participating families were both engaged in family therapy for disruptive behaviour problems. Each family participated in a family interview which was recorded and transcribed according to CA principles. The analysis focused on the discursive organisation of accounts, as well as how these accounts were constructed to actively manage accountability during the interviews. Accounts were organised into a threepart structure consisting of a ‘statement of causality’, ‘warrant’ and ‘formulation’. Three strategies for managing accountability were identified: ‘objectifying’, ‘normalising’ and ‘systematic vagueness’. The analytic findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to systemic theory and practice

How are secure attachment relationships fostered through talk between teachers and students who have been adopted? A conversation analysis

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of supportive teacher–student relationships to create safety for young people who have experienced early adversity and trauma, there is not a clear understanding of what factors make for positive school relationships and how these can be fostered. The aims of the study were to explore how children with challenging emotional backgrounds are supported by their key adult in school and how this occurs in the process of conversations between them. Three student–teacher pairs from a specialist school took part in a semi-structured interview about their relationship. Data was analysed using conversation analysis. Analysis found how teaching staff use several conversational markers in talk with children with attachment difficulties when emotional experiences are raised and when troubles occur in navigating difficult conversations. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research are made. </jats:p

Anger without a voice, anger without a solution: Parent–child triadic processes and the experience of caring for a child with a diagnosis of autism

The paper offers an exploration of triadic attachment dynamics in families with a child with a diagnosis of autism. The Meaning of the Child (MotC) framework was employed as part of a multiple case study design with 18 parents (9 couples) in order to examine their representation of parenting and relationship with their child. The MotC analysis employed concepts of parental sensitivity, mentalisation and reflective functioning, and a triadic, analysis was added to consider the family relational processes. The findings indicate that the parents were significantly influenced by the use of a dominant ‘autism discourse’. ‘Autism’ in their child presented a severe challenge for them and could foster a sense of disempowerment and emotional withdrawal. Locating the difficulties as reflecting ‘autism’ could also serve to detour conflicts between the parents, and in the parents themselves, trapping the family in unresolved anger or fear that could neither be named nor its impact addressed. Autism discourse tended to rob the actions of family members of interpersonal meaning, rendering conflict fixed and unalterable and requiring them to mask the deep feelings inherent in these relational ruptures. The analysis included an exploration of the parents’ own childhood attachment histories which revealed that the parents were also driven by corrective scripts in wishing to form better relationships with their child than had been their own childhood experiences of parenting. A sense of failure to achieve these added to their sense of disappointment and frustration, but also indicated potential avenues for positive changes and growth. </jats:p