Prolonged infancy and attachment security: Comparative case analysis of children with intellectual disability from India

• Main Author: Leemamol Mathew
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PsychOpen 2008-12-01
• Series: Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
• Subjects: prolonged infancy; infant-mother attachment; hierarchical relationship in India; intellectual disability
• Online Access: http://abpri.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/interpersona-22_5.pdf

People with intellectual disability possess poor relationship skills and lack attachment relationships. Research has shown that this low relationship building ability is evident right from birth in the interactions with the mother. The present study addresses these two arguments through case study method. 11 children with intellectual disability from a special school at Mangalore, South India were the participants. With the purpose of developing close relationship, the researcher interacted with the participants for an academic year (10 months). The interactions resulted in close relationships for both. Interviews were conducted with mothers, and other significant people to find out the relationship histories. The analyses of the data revealed that children with intellectual disability are able to develop attachment relationship. The prolonged infancy of children with intellectual disability from developmental delays provides more space for infant-mother interaction. The relationship orientation and the inheritance right in Indian culture fostered the attachment relationship during prolonged infancy stage for the participants under study. The relationship building ability of children with intellectual disability is as par as any other normal developing individual, provided with an opportunity for sensitive interaction.