The Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA)

Overview

The Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA) is in the lifespan series of assessments of attachment developed by Patricia M. Crittenden, PhD. The PAA teaches children’s self-protective strategies with specific caregivers. It uses the classic Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) upon which all assessments of attachment are based. By applying the SSP to 2-5 year old children the Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA) reveals important advances in children’s self-protective behaviour. This is particularly relevant for endangered children or those with behavioural problems. The PAA marks the beginning of DMM theory and assessment as an expansion of Ainsworth’s work with infants. 

Benefits to clinicians of taking the PAA course:

  • Provide clarity regarding children’s adaptation and parents’ contribution
  • Create compassion for both children and their parents
  • Suggest effective therapist-parent strategies to use in treatment
  • Jumpstart the treatment or restart a stalled treatment
  • Enable therapists to find the parents’ ZPD regarding their child
  • Enable therapists to guide parents to discover children’s perspectives and self-protective strategies
  • Permit reliable coders to classify the protective strategies used by children

The Preschool Assessment of Attachment involves a 24-minute laboratory procedure and takes three people to carry out (plus the child and carer). Classification is based on careful review of the video.

The 12-day course is taught from video. Both adult and infant behaviour are assessed. Non-verbal behaviour, interpersonal strategies, and developmental processes are emphasised.

Following the basic course members may take an advanced clinical training.

Mandatory Course Requirements

Attachment, Neurodevelopment, & Psychopathology before completing the PAA course (i.e., ANP may be taken concurrently). UK course details can be found here. Details of courses elsewhere in the world can be found here.

It is essential that trainees attend all 12 days of the course.

Assignments

There is:
(a) coding work  during the teaching weeks and
(b) between the sessions, with the option of a tutorial with a facilitator to discuss, and
(c) a requirement to submit 3 PAAs carried out by the course participant. This work must be completed to receive a Certificate for Administering the PAA.

 Not completing the practice is likely to seriously impede the level of reliability that can be achieved.

Competency to code normative samples will be tested following the course. The Family Relations Institute issues participants with a reliability certificate stating the percent agreement with the standard. This reliability can be reported. Evidence of reliability should be requested if the participant will code data for others.

Course Timings

Teaching days will be arranged at times to allow for attendance by learners from different timezones.

You will be required to code a number of procedures before or after each day’s training. Consequently, participants should be entirely free of other obligations during the teaching days. 

Includes

All teaching, optional meeting with a facilitator during the teaching weeks, weekly feedback on practice PAA’s and registration with Dr Crittenden for the reliability test. 

Upcoming Dates