Derailment in Touchpoints
Attached are the various
definitions of derailment
discussed during the session.
See TP training materials for
graphic slides.
Jackie Muniz,Rachel Talamantez
Sheri Smith & John Hornstein
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Origin of DERAIL
French dérailler to throw off the track, from
dé- de- + rail, from English
First Known Use: 1850
Synonyms: agitate, ail, alarm (also alarum),
bother, concern, disturb, discomfort,
discompose, dismay, disquiet, distemper,
distract, distress, exercise, flurry, frazzle,
freak (out), fuss, hagride, perturb, undo,
unhinge, unsettle, upset, weird out, worry
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
What are Touchpoints?
“Touchpoints” are predictable
periods of regression and
disorganization that occur
before bursts in a child’s
development.
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
“The core features of emotional development
include the ability to identify and understand
one’s own feelings, to accurately read and
comprehend emotional states in others, to
manage strong emotions and their expression in a
constructive manner, to regulate one’s own
behavior, to develop empathy for others and to
establish and sustain relationships”
-National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2005)
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Disorganization is Not Error
Disorganization is the
Wellspring of Change
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
In the case of derailment, the child's feedback systems
fail to contribute to the upward progression of
development… Just as successful negotiation of
disorganization sets the pattern for the successful
management of future behavioral regressions, so does the
failure to negotiate a regression. A single derailment
around a feeding, sleeping or discipline issue may not be
problematic in the long run.
But if a pattern of
derailment is established whenever developmental
challenges arise then the consequence is an expectancy of
failure and frustration on the part of both child and
parent.
TP Early Care Manual
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
For example, the nine-month-old child whose feeding is
getting messy as she experiments with her food may
become overly concerned with eating if she doesn't have
the opportunity to gain some control over her feeding.
TP Early Care Manual
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Infant-caregiver interactions
Unsuccessful Communication of
Meanings and the creation of
atypical meanings - physiological,
gestural, emotional, liguistic,
symbolic - lead to derailed
development.
Ed Tronick, 2009
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Developmental Derailment
An infant who is consistently ignored when he cries or met with abuse develops different pathways in his brain. That child’s ability to be calmed will be impaired. Without intervention, these undesirable pathways and connections will cause developmental derailment. As that young child grows older, the ongoing emotional and behavioral challenges that he struggles with will have their roots in how the pathways in his brain formed during this early critical period of development. ~Dr. Bruce D. Perry M.D., Ph.D
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
“Touching” the family at
vulnerable times
• Regressive periods can lead to developmental
derailment.
• Like the child, the family also needs greater
support and care during these periods of
vulnerability.
• Supports help absorb the stress and helps
“reorganize” responses that support moving to
the next level of development.
– Healthcare and educational professionals
– Family / Extended Family and Social Networks
– Community supports (ie: faith-based organizations,
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
neighborhood connections)
Joining Families of Children
with Special Needs
• Predictability is not the same
• Disorganization is tiring when it is all the
time
• TP is a pathway to the whole child
– Who is this unique child?
– Meaning making
– Parent-Child relationship
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Is “Derailment” the correct term for
this phenomenon?
- Pathology
- Disorder
- Relational
© 2000 Brazelton Touchpoints Center