Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Infant Meets HHS Criteria

Model effectiveness research report last updated: 2020

In brief

Evidence of model effectiveness

This model meets the criteria established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for an “evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model” for the general population, but does not meet the criteria for tribal populations.

View Revisions

Model description

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up–Infant (ABC-Infant) is a training program for caregivers of infants between the ages of 6 and 24 months, including high-risk birth parents and caregivers of young children in foster care, kinship care (such as a grandparent raising a grandchild), and adoptive care. Parent coaches conduct 10 weekly home visits lasting about 60 minutes each. The model is designed to help caregivers provide (1) nurturing, even when children do not appear to need it, (2) mutually responsive interactions in which caregivers follow children’s lead, and (3) care that does not frighten children. Parent coaches provide immediate feedback (referred to as “in the moment” comments) on the caregivers’ interaction with the child to help the caregivers attend to the target behaviors. During visits, the parent coach and caregiver watch videos of the caregiver interacting with the child. The parent coach highlights the caregiver’s strengths, celebrates changes in behavior, and identifies areas for improvement. The model also incorporates homework to give caregivers the opportunity to practice the skills they are learning and record their observations about their own behavior and the child’s behavior.

This report also includes a review of ABC-Toddler, designed for children between the ages of 24 and 48 months. (The studies HomVEE reviewed for ABC-Infant include research published before 2015 when the model was called the “ABC Intervention” and research published after the developer renamed the model “ABC-Infant” after introducing ABC-Toddler.)

For more information on ABC-Infant, please read the Model Overview.

View Revisions

Extent of evidence

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Infant
Results of search and review
Number of manuscripts
At least one finding was eligible for review…
28
  …and at least one finding rated high
4
  …and at least one finding rated moderate (but none rated high)
7
  …and all findings that were eligible for review rated low
15
  …but manuscript is additional source2
2
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Toddler
Results of search and review
Number of manuscripts
At least one finding was eligible for review…
2
  …and at least one finding rated high
0
  …and at least one finding rated moderate (but none rated high)
1
  …and all findings that were eligible for review rated low
1
  …but manuscript is additional source2
0

1When an individual manuscript reports findings from multiple studies, HomVEE reviews each study as a distinct manuscript. In these rare instances, HomVEE counts that manuscript multiple times in this table, once for each study identified, screened, and reviewed by HomVEE.

2Additional sources have findings or details that perfectly overlap with another manuscript and are not rated.

For more information, see the research database. For more information on the criteria used to rate research, please see details of HomVEE’s methods and standards.

View Revisions

Summary of findings

To see details on each finding HomVEE reviewed in well-designed research, click on the name of an outcome domain in the tables below. Findings rated low quality by HomVEE are not summarized here.

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Infant
Outcomes
Findings

Outcome Child Development and School Readiness

Findings:
Favorable: 8
No effect: 11
Unfavorable or ambiguous: 0

Outcome Child Health

Findings:
Favorable: 1
No effect: 0
Unfavorable or ambiguous: 0

Outcome Family Economic Self-Sufficiency

Not measured

Outcome Linkages and Referrals

Not measured

Outcome Maternal Health

Not measured

Outcome Positive Parenting Practices

Findings:
Favorable: 11
No effect: 12
Unfavorable or ambiguous: 0

Outcome Reductions in Child Maltreatment

Not measured

Outcome Reductions in Juvenile Delinquency, Family Violence, and Crime

Not measured
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Toddler
Outcomes
Findings

Outcome Child Development and School Readiness

Findings:
Favorable: 2
No effect: 1
Unfavorable or ambiguous: 0

Outcome Child Health

Not measured

Outcome Family Economic Self-Sufficiency

Not measured

Outcome Linkages and Referrals

Not measured

Outcome Maternal Health

Not measured

Outcome Positive Parenting Practices

Not measured

Outcome Reductions in Child Maltreatment

Not measured

Outcome Reductions in Juvenile Delinquency, Family Violence, and Crime

Not measured

The section above focuses on findings from the full sample in a study. Subgroups that have been replicated in distinct samples also have findings reported above. HomVEE does not report the findings of non-replicated subgroups. Beginning with research reviewed in 2021, however, HomVEE, lists those subgroups on the details page of each manuscript that had at least one finding that rated moderate or high.

View Revisions

Criteria established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Information based on comprehensive review of all high- and moderate-rated manuscripts
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Infant
CriterionCriterion descriptionCriterion met?
1High- or moderate-quality impact study?Yes
2Across high- or moderate-quality studies, favorable impacts in at least two outcome domains within one sample OR the same domain for at least two non-overlapping samples?Yes
3Favorable impacts on full sample?Yes
4Any favorable impacts on outcome measures sustained at least 12 months after model enrollment?
Reported for all research but only required for RCTs.		Yes
5One or more favorable, statistically significant impact reported in a peer-reviewed journal?
Reported for all research but only required for RCTs.		Yes
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) -Toddler
CriterionCriterion descriptionCriterion met?
1High- or moderate-quality impact study?Yes
2Across high- or moderate-quality studies, favorable impacts in at least two outcome domains within one sample OR the same domain for at least two non-overlapping samples?No
3Favorable impacts on full sample?Yes
4Any favorable impacts on outcome measures sustained at least 12 months after model enrollment?
Reported for all research but only required for RCTs.		Yes
5One or more favorable, statistically significant impact reported in a peer-reviewed journal?
Reported for all research but only required for RCTs.		Yes

Notes: If the model does not meet criterion 3 but meets criteria 1 and 2 based on findings from subgroups, the impacts must be replicated in the same domain in two or more studies using non-overlapping analytic study samples. HomVEE assesses and reports criteria 4 and 5 for all models that have well-designed research, but meeting those two criteria is only required of models for which all findings are from randomized controlled trials. Please read the HHS criteria for evidence-based models for more information.

View Revisions