“maternal contact alters the neurobiology of the infant.”13 (Note that in the human context, “maternal” does not necessarily refer to a female mothering figure or to a biological parent. It can also refer to primary caregivers of either gender.) Children who suffer disruptions in their attachment relationships will not have the same biochemical milieu in their brains as will their well-attached and well-nurtured peers. As a result their experiences and interpretations of their environment, and their responses to it, will be less flexible, less adaptive, and less conducive to health and
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