A systematic review of attachment interventions for people with intellectual disability and their caregivers.

Ramsden (2024) looked at every paper that tested attachment programs for people with intellectual disability and their caregivers.

The team found 13 studies that used education, video feedback, or talk-therapy styles such as Circle of Security.

They graded the quality of each study and noted where methods were weak.

The evidence was mixed but hopeful.

Some programs helped caregivers read cues and respond with warmth.

Yet most studies were small or lacked control groups, so firm conclusions wait for better data.

The review folds in McIntyre (2020), a narrative review that praised behavioral and mindfulness parent-training for the same families.

Lee’s paper shows day-to-day skill gains, while Ramsden highlights warm caregiver-child bonds; together they argue for blended programs that teach both skills and sensitivity.

Feldman et al. (2025) adds a fresh single-case signal: two expectant parents with ID learned newborn care through step-by-step rehearsal and kept custody past one year.

That 2025 finding extends Ramsden’s conclusion by showing intensive prenatal coaching may lock in the very attachment behaviors the older papers only tracked after birth.

You now have a green light to add attachment pieces—video feedback, shared-reading moments, or Circle of Security talk—to the skill-based parent training you already use.

Start small, film a short play routine, and review it with the caregiver next visit; the mix may lift both bonding and behavior better than either piece alone.