Developing secure attachment relationships with primary caregivers is crucial for fostering a
person’s social-emotional development. This is particularly important for individuals with
severe to profound intellectual disabilities, who face a higher risk of mental health challenges
compared to the general population. The role of attachment figures is especially significant for
this group, yet establishing such relationships can be difficult for caregivers. Factors on both
sides contribute to these challenges—on the part of individuals with severe to profound
intellectual disabilities, for instance, limited expressive communication can hinder the
development of secure attachment, while caregivers may struggle with processing the diagnosis
and interpreting the unique, idiosyncratic signals of the person with severe disabilities.
Although research on attachment in individuals with severe to profound intellectual disabilities
has historically lagged behind, it is now gaining increased attention. Similarly, in clinical
practice, the attachment framework is becoming more prominent, especially in addressing
behavioral issues within this population.
In this pre-conference session, Dr. Sien Vandesande (KU Leuven, Belgium) will provide a brief
theoretical introduction to attachment theory, followed by an overview of the existing research
on attachment in individuals with severe disabilities, with a particular focus on parent-child
attachment in families with children with severe to profound intellectual (and multiple)
disabilities. She will draw from her own PhD research, sharing insights from various
methodologies including observation, physiological measures, and interviews, as well as her
postdoctoral work on shared caregiving from an attachment perspective.
Participants will engage in a discussion on how these research findings can be translated into
practical support for parents and how they might inform our own attachment relationships with
clients as professional caregivers. We will explore approaches to assessing attachment behaviors
and quality in individuals with severe to profound intellectual disabilities and discuss
intervention strategies. Together, we will critically evaluate how attachment-based diagnostic
and intervention methods can be adapted to meet the unique needs of this group.
Sien Vandesande is a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven's Parenting and Special Education
research unit. Her primary research interest lies in individuals with severe to profound
intellectual and multiple disabilities and their surrounding context. She completed her doctoral
research in 2021, which focused on parent-child attachment in children with severe to profound
intellectual disabilities.
Sien’s postdoctoral research explores shared caregiving for children with severe disabilities
from an attachment perspective, with a particular focus on co-regulation during stress in
caregiving contexts. As a visiting research fellow at VU Amsterdam, she also contributes to
projects within the Clinical Child and Family Studies Research Group and the associated academic
workplace, Viveon.