what happens when a baby doesnt get those positive, nurturing responses? Say, if a mom is on her own with no help, or depressed, or in a violent relationship? She may really want to be a loving, responsive parent, but is that possible under those circumstances? Dr. Perry: This is one of the central problems in our society; we have too many parents caring for children with inadequate supports. The result is what you would expect. An overwhelmed, exhausted, dysregulated parent will have a hard time regulating a child consistently and predictably. This can impact the child in two really important ways. First, it affects the development of the childs stress-response systems (see Figure 3). If the hungry, cold, scared infant is inconsistently responded toand regulatedby the overwhelmed caregiver, this creates an inconsistent, prolonged, and unpredictable activation of the childs stress-response systems. The result is a sensitization of these important systems.

What Happened To You? by Bruce D. Perry