ECE 417 - Death, Divorce, and Difficult Times

This course will explore impact of death and divorce in the life of a young child. It will include an understanding of the grieving process, and early childhood attachment. Theories of attachment as well as the continuum of possible attachment related behaviors are explained. Methods to facilitate healthy attachment are discussed. It includes:

• What is Early Childhood pain and loss?
• What is grief?
• What are the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical reactions that children can have?
• Why does divorce lower children's well-being?
• How does inter-parental conflict affect children?
• What interventions might benefit children of divorce?
• What directions should future research in this topic take?