DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET 1. Attachment and the Growing Brain In an elementary school for which I provided an after- school staff development ses- sion, the kindergarten teacher had a private question as we left. She was unsure of the way her aide had dealt with a situation earlier that afternoon. A boy, frequently at the center of a troubling erup- tion, had aggressively forced his way into a small group playing quietly in the block area. When they resisted his intrusion, he threw a block at them and knocked down their creation. The aide snatched him away and chided his actions. She sternly made him sit at an empty table off to the side, where he cried and fussed loudly. When the lead teacher returned to the room upon hearing the wailing and learned of the situation, she wondered if this was the answer to his poor social skills, because it happened every day, sometimes twice. I suggested we ask our- selves what might be at the base of his limited social skills. I reminded her that children who had weak attachments missed out on the neuro wiring that allowed them to develop relationships and the skills to build friendships. Understanding that, what might we do to strengthen his skills, and would being isolated help? Might he be interpreting being isolated as a rejection? COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 9