Barnard, Kathryn E [b. 1938] . a nursing theorist who developed the Child Health Assessment Interaction Model. Her model and theory were the outcome of the Nursing Child Assessment Project (1976–1979). Barnard believes that the parent-infant system is influenced by individual characteristics of each member. Those characteristics are modified to meet the needs of the system by adaptive behavior. The interaction between parent (or caregiver) and child is shown in Barnard’s model to take place with five cues and activities: (1) the infant’s clarity in sending cues; (2) the infant’s responsiveness to the parent; (3) the parent’s sensitivity to the child’s cues; (4) the parent’s ability to recognize and alleviate the infant’s distress; and (5) the parent’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth-fostering activities. A major issue in Barnard’s theoretic assertions is that the nurse gives support to the mother’s sensitivity and response to her infant’s cues rather than trying to change her characteristics or mothering style.
