The Impact of a Brief Neuro-Collaborative Play-Based Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Adopted Children: A Service Evaluation

The Impact of a Brief Neuro-Collaborative Play-Based Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Adopted Children: A Service Evaluation

Jack Purrington, Emily Glover-Humphreys, Holly Edwards, Matthew Hudson · International Journal of Play Therapy

Forty-seven adoptive families received a ten-week package combining parent–child play therapy, parenting sessions and children’s sensory and mindfulness activities. Parent questionnaires before and after treatment recorded reductions in several trauma-related, behavioural and relationship difficulties. Not all measured domains showed statistically significant changes.

Limitations: Parents rated children’s outcomes; children did not supply these outcome reports. No untreated comparison group, small clinical sample and multiple outcomes limit causal conclusions. Some participants may overlap with the service’s later prenatal-alcohol-exposure analysis. Research evaluates therapy provided by Chrysalis Associates, a service for adopted and care-experienced children. Authors have worked for the service; this relationship should be considered when interpreting findings.

Research type

Uncontrolled before-and-after service evaluation

Source reviewed

Full text

Peer reviewed

Yes

Age group

Mixed