Lillas & Turnbull, © 2008
Relevance
Exposure to domestic violence*
Emotional abuse*
Emotional neglect*
Familial history of mental illness*
Separation or loss of a parent*
Parental criminality*
History of children removed from home;
abuse/neglect of other children
Multiple children to care for
Weak commitment to child
Chronically depressed or anxious
Rapid swings into high-intensity emotions;
low frustration tolerance
Lack of empathy for self and others
Difficulty making eye contact and lacking
warmth
Negative appraisal of child as willfully
disobeying or as not loving parent
Parent unable to set boundaries and over-
accommodates child
Discrepancies exist among words, actions,
or non-verbal communication
Learning disruptions
Inability to ask for help when necessary
Executive
Motorically clumsy, awkward, or lethargic
High distractibility
High impulsivity
Unable to delay gratification
Lacks stable routines
Adheres to rigid routines and habits,
avoiding novelty
Lack of knowledge concerning normative
child development
Difficulty anticipating the need to
sequence and implement agreed-on
clinical input
Lacks a willingness to incorporate a new
way to understand a child’s behavior (e.g.,
mental rigidity)
Is unaware of, or inaccurately judges, own
strengths and weaknesses
Difficulty using hindsight, insight, and
foresight for self-reflection and problem
solving
Lacks cause–effect reasoning
Unable to hold self and others in mind at
the same time
Unable to consider the part in relation to
the whole
Step #3
Four Brain Systems- History Checklist
Global Questions
Regul
a
tion
Are stress responses adaptive? That
is, does a person show adequate
recovery?
Is the person’s use of energy efficient
and flexible or rigid and chaotic?
How does the person conserve energy?
Regulation
Significant prenatal stressors
No or poor prenatal care
History of, or current substance abuse,
smoking*
Physical abuse*
Physical neglect*
Sexual abuse*
Teenage pregnancy
Poor nutrition
Premature labor
Multiple births
Genetic disorder(s)
Chronic medical condition(s)
Chronic allergies
Sleep difficulties
Rigid or chaotic pattern of arousal energy that
is entrenched (hypoalert, hyperalert, flooded)
Low maternal education
Few familial financial resources
Unhygienic environment
Inadequate food, shelter, or clothing
Limited community resources
Post-partum depression
Birth complications
(prolonged labor, traumatic
birth, C-section (planned or
emergency), breach birth
Parental/Adult Risk Factors
That Can Compromise Parents’ Ability to
Offer Their Child Support
Sensory
Loss of hearing or vision
Inaccurate processing of information
Slow processing of information
Speech abnormality
Learning disorder(s)
Only overreactive to sensory information
in at least one sensory domain
Only underreactive to sensory information
in at least one sensory domain
Both overreactive and underreactive to
sensory information in at least one
sensory domain
Over or under stimulating living
environment
Sensation seeker
Parental/Adult Risk Factors
That Can Compromise Parents’ Ability to
Offer Their Child Support
Sensory
How quickly and efficiently does the
adult process sensory information?
How reactive is the adult to sensory
information from relationships?
Is the adult leaning toward types of
sensory information that are
considered safe as opposed to those
that are threatening?
Relevance
Is the individual able to express a range
of positive and negative emotions flexibly?
How do experiences influence memories
and appraisals?
Are emotionally loving, significant, and
long-term relationships present?
Does the individual tend to attribute
positive or negative meanings to
experiences?
Executive
Does adult show purposeful movement
that is both adaptive and flexible?
Can adult see the big picture?
Can the adult stay on track in
expressing a thought, emotion, or
narrative?
Can the adult complete tasks in a
relatively smooth fashion?
