Conference Agenda

Most work on attachment in autistic children has relied on the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), which was designed for infants under 24 months, and autistic samples are often older (see Trottier-Dumont et al., 2025). The SSP-M for preschool and school-age children categorizes children as secure, avoidant, ambivalent, or disorganized based on the PACS (Moss et al., 2004). Despite some adaptations to the SSP, no studies have applied the SSP-M to autistic children. This study examines attachment in autistic children using the SSP-M/PACS and tests its convergent validity with the socialization, communication, and daily living skills scales of the Vineland Adaptative Behavior Scales (VABS-II). The study also seeks to illustrate autistic children’s attachment and exploration behaviors through detailed case studies.

Method. Twenty-four autistic children aged 4-9 and their mothers participated in the SSP-M. Mothers completed the VABS-II. Attachment (PACS) was assessed by two independent coders, achieving satisfactory inter-rater agreement (50% double-coded cases, κ = .73; 75% agreement).

Results. The attachment distribution was 58.3% secure, 8.3% avoidant, 8.3% ambivalent, and 25% disorganized. T-tests comparing secure vs. insecure children showed that secure children demonstrated higher socialization scores (t(21) = 2.30, p = .02, d = .98) and higher communication scores (t(21) = 2.70, p = .01, d = 1.15) than insecure children. No differences were found for daily living skills. The last part of the talk presents data from the four case studies (one per classification), selected based on their attachment behaviors.

Discussion. The attachment aligns with findings from a recent meta-analysis of autistic children (Trottier-Dumont et al., 2025) and further supports the use of the SSP-M/PACS with autistic children. Future research should test convergent validity with variables such as parental sensitivity. Due to the small sample size, results should be interpreted with caution.

Attachment behaviours are defined as behaviours occurring between an individual and a caregiver, aimed at seeking and maintaining proximity and/or protesting separation. They are thought to regulate fear, anxiety, or other forms of distress in response to real or perceived threats.

Studies suggest that primary care staff can function as attachment figures for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), especially in group homes. A previous study (Rinaldi et al., 2023) found that support workers observed a wide range of attachment-related behaviours in adults with ID.

However, this study did not allow individual-level analysis. To address this, the Adult Attachment Behaviour Inventory – Intellectual Disabilities (AABI-ID) was developed to examine these behaviours more precisely and to serve as a reflective tool helping professionals better understand and respond to adults with ID’s attachment needs.

Method. The AABI-ID is a third-party tool completed by a support worker based on daily behavioural observations of an adult with ID. The inventory consists of 22 pairs of items: item (a) referring to the professional’s own experience and (b) concerning their observations of the individual's behaviour towards other professionals.

Each adult was assessed twice by two informants. The Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale (VABS-II) and the Behaviour Problem Inventory (BPI) were administered to investigate the influence of behavioural and adaptive characteristics on attachment behaviours.

Results. Results from data on 152 adults indicated excellent internal consistency of the AABI-ID and good test-retest reliability. Significant positive correlations were identified between AABI-ID total score and daily living skills domain of VABS-II, and with frequency and severity of aggressive-destructive behaviours of BPI. Additionally, a more clinically focused analysis highlighted the inventory’s practical relevance in caregiving contexts.

Discussion. The AABI-ID offers preliminary insights into attachment behaviours in adults with ID and supports professionals in better understanding clients’ needs while reflecting on their caregiving experiences.

For children with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (S/PIMD), displaying attachment behaviours and developing secure attachment relationships is not self-evident. Due to their limited ability to cope with stress, it is essential to have attachment figures who can co-regulate for them. Moreover, because they often move between different caregiving contexts, establishing a network of attachment figures across settings is crucial to ensure emotional security. However, little is known about how such co-regulative attachment networks develop, particularly given the lack of suitable assessment instruments for this population. This study pilots an innovative data collection approach, combining continuous behavioral observation with physiological measures, to investigate co-regulation during stress across caregiving contexts. The central research question is: How can familiar caregivers (both formal and informal) across different caregiving contexts provide emotional security to the child? More specifically, the study compares the efficiency of co-regulation during stress between two caregiving settings.

Method. This pilot study reports on two case studies within this population. Each child was observed in two contexts: one formal setting (e.g., school or residential care facility) and one informal setting (the home environment). Data collection involved two cameras (a 360° and a 180° camera) mounted on the child’s wheelchair to capture both the child and the surrounding environment, while psychophysiological data were recorded using the Empatica Embrace Plus device.

Results. The results (currently in progress) will be presented case by case, supported by illustrative video material, in line with the exploratory nature of this pilot study. Stress events will be identified through psychophysiological signals and validated through behavioral observation. The efficiency of co-regulation will then be compared across the two caregiving contexts.

Discussion. Conclusions will focus on the feasibility of this innovative data collection method for studying attachment-related processes in children with S/PIMD.

Carlo Schuengel will serve as discussant, reflecting on the broader implications of these methodological advances for the study of attachment in neurodivergent populations.