Providing a "life project" for young children: Implementation of a state-of-the-art practice

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of a secure emotional bond with a parent or other significant adult to the child’s personal and social development. This bond or attachment is formed through a series of comforting exchanges wherein a parent figure responds appropriately and consistently to the child’s needs, beginning from birth. If, on the other hand, the adult has difficulty recognizing the child’s needs or rejects or ignores them, the child’s development—or “life project” — can be compromised.