The Brazelton Touchpoints Approach™ is a practical approach for enhancing the competence of parents and building strong family-child relationships from before birth through the earliest years, laying the vital foundation for children’s healthy development.
The Touchpoints Approach™ has grown out of over 60 years of infant research and practice by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton , a leading pediatrician and developer of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) used worldwide. The Touchpoints Approach™ is based on an extensive body of additional scientific research, practice and program evaluations.
The Touchpoints Approach™ to Development
Children develop their skills in many different areas at the same time. When children show a sudden burst in one area of development, they often “regress”, or backslide, in another area. This is really a positive sign of development moving forward, but parents and providers might find themselves worried, or disagreeing with each other. These bursts can disorganize children’s feelings and actions and disrupt caregiving routines, such as feeding and sleeping. Just think of the budding toddler who has just learned to walk and now no longer wants to nap predictably or sit for a meal! Touchpoints™ of the first years typically can be predicted to happen when the child is:Newborn
3 Weeks
6-8 Weeks
4 Months
7 Months
9 Months
12 Months
15 Months
18 Months
2 YearsThe Touchpoints™ Approach to Relationships
The Touchpoints Approach™ reminds us every day of the power of strong and positive caregiving relationships in promoting best developmental outcomes for children. Developmental “Touchpoints™” can be stressful to parents and providers because Touchpoints disorganize children’s behavior and routines. However, Touchpoints offer opportunities for providers to “touch” into the family system, helping parents carefully watch and understand their child’s behavior and strengths.
Parents and care providers can then together look forward to periods of regression and disorganization more positively, being supportive of each other and of the child, in stronger shared caregiving partnerships. Parents and providers working together around these “Touchpoints” nurtures the relationship between providers and the children, between providers and the families, and between families and children. This supports families in meeting the needs of their children. Providers have such a powerfully important role in supporting young children and their whole families.
Learn more about the Touchpoints Approach™
- Touchpoints Model of Development
- Touchpoints Video and Overview
- A Developmental Approach for the Prevention of Common Behavioral Problems
- Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics: A Handbook For Primary Care
- Touchpoints in Early Care and Education
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.
A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy- Touchpoints, Birth to Three and Touchpoints, Three to Six
- Touchpoints Professional Development Programs
Brazelton Touchpoints Center
1295 Boylston Street, Suite 320, Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 857-218-4451 / Fax: 617- 730-0060
eMail: touchpoints@childrens.harvard.edu