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Jessie Hogsett was diagnosed with RAD at the age of 12 and grew up acting out of the hurt and trauma of his early childhood.…

If your child has attachment issues, The Boy who Build a Wall Around Himself is the perfect book to cuddle up

The Kids we Lose is a PBS documentary that explores how ineffective discipline techniques in schools feed the school-to-prison pipeline. It does a great job…

For the safety of our kids, who will someday age-out of residential treatment and into the real world – we must find a balance. They’ve…

Regardless of our politics, we can advocate together on behalf of innocent children. Let’s consider that the immigration system isn’t the only “system” that’s harmful…

Parents of kids diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) are all too familiar with the symptoms. Anecdotally we often list food hoarding, violent outbursts, crazy…

My son Devon was 10-years-old when I dropped him off at a residential treatment facility (RTF) for the first time.

This HBO documentary explores the struggle of three moms who are trying to find mental health services for their aggressive

Adoption finalization is a reason to celebrate. Parents have filled out mountains of paperwork, waited months or years and shed

Imagine identifying a toxin so potent it could rewire a child’s brain and erode his immune system. A substance that, in high doses, tripled the…

These types of sentiments garner thousands of likes, shares, and re-tweets. But for families like mine, they simply don’t ring true.

Our recent Facebook poll showed up to 95% of adoptive parents are not sufficiently trained on developmental trauma and the

 Only a few days ago, I had the opportunity to plant a gun in a school. The doors were unlocked.

Our recent Facebook poll showed that 67% of children first misdiagnosed with RAD (and other developmental trauma diagnoses) were first diagnosed with ADHD. 

One of the challenges of raising a child with developmental trauma disorder is how many professionals do not truly understand

The a-z Of Therapeutic Parenting has real strategies and solutions for kids with developmental trauma. Enough said. Seriously, for most adoptive parents I could end…

This book will provide an interesting and enlightening background on the science of trauma. It’s not a how-to, although Dr. Kolk does offer some insight…

Under my desk is an antique iron. It has been there since the day my mother hid it from my

February 10, 20197:58 AM ETHeard on  All Things Considered Many, though not all, of the perpetrators have experienced childhood traumas such

This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health. Negative childhood experiences can set our brains

My son Devon has a long track-record of making false allegations against staff at treatment facilities where he’s a patient. “I’m afraid

These popular novels are twisty, psychological thrillers with surprise endings. They each feature a child with developmental trauma and/or RAD.

By Christine Herman When Matthew Timion needed to get his son treatment for mental illness, he did not anticipate it

Don’t miss out! pdf resources shared at the 2019 REFRESH conference! Includes a handout for teachers.

My husband and I adopted Devon out of foster care when he was 3. Devon has complex developmental trauma disorder

Caleb, 11, was thin with blond hair, glasses, and a big smile where crooked teeth jockeyed for space. He and

In case you missed it…these are my top 10 posts for 2018: How to discipline a child with RAD What

Our Failed Solutions for Seriously Ill Foster Youths (published by The Chronicle of Social Change) Justin Taylor Bean, removed from

Today my son’s therapist apologized to me. (Go ahead, take a moment to pick yourself up off the floor, then

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the ATTACh 2018 conference. I learned from keynote speakers including leading researcher and

Tweets. Facebook messages. Verbal knockouts. One too many times, I’ve been told reactive attachment disorder (RAD)—the result of a child’s

An interview with Diane L. Redleaf, a family defense pioneer Nationally-known leaders have called Diane L. Redleaf the “conscience of

Two-year-old Kayla was shy with dimples that winked when she laughed. Her brother, three-year-old Devon, had curly brown hair, freckles

If you are a classroom teacher you almost certainly have students who have experienced childhood trauma. A recent national survey

Unless you’ve lived through a child’s relentless screaming, violent outbursts, physical aggression, and extreme manipulation – hour-after-hour, day-after-day – it

I opened the closet door to find my son Devon squatting in the shadowy darkness with a belt looped loosely

By Lynn K. Sollitto, brave mom, author and RAD advocacy hero I instantly fell in love with my biological son

Illinois Newsroom–Jul 31, 2018 When Toni and Jim Hoy adopted their son Daniel as a toddler, they did not plan

By brave adoptive parent and advocate Pernell Meier Social workers have been an ever-present part of my family. Over the course

Do you ever roll out of bed already over it? At your limit before the day starts? Knowing you can’t

Adults who grew up in so-called “typical” families—the families we pay no or little attention to because it looks “normal”,

Devon was a boy who cried wolf. On several occasions, he claimed workers had purposely hurt him. When he mumbled about

“It’s like living in a prison. We can’t go anywhere. All doors are locked. Alarms everywhere. We can’t have friends

If you’re raising a child with RAD you almost certainly need a safety plan. Our children’s dangerous behaviors can include

Guest post by Terrie, RAD mom Today I remember all the dads – adoptive, foster, step and birth – for

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD): The Essential Guide for Parents has the resources, advice, and information I wish I’d had when my

What’s your success been with Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF)? My son, Devon, has been in 2 group homes and 5

Dear Friend, I’ve told you before how I’m struggling with my child’s behavior but I’m not sure you understand how

When Annika and Zeb adopt Carl, an 11-year-old boy from the foster care system, they’re confident he’ll heal and thrive

Published by Adoptive Families May 2018 Issue Jennifer laughed a little too loudly, running her fingers through her long, fluorescent

“It’s unreasonable to force a parent to bond with a child whose behaviors have led to his or her PTSD,”

Effectively parenting children with a history of trauma requires a paradigm shift. This short video by psychologist Jacob Ham is

Here’s a story from Sandi: At age 10, my son was diagnosed with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). He is 17 now, and he

via Blog – Institute For Attachment and Child Development A self-care list for the exhausted, frazzled, frustrated parents without a

My Op-ed published by The Charlotte Observer My biracial son Amias and his white cousin Jacob – middle school honors

Dear Therapist, I am desperate for your help. I apologize ahead of time if I seem angry and defensive. I’m just

Originally published by the Institute for Child Development. Carol was bitter and angry—on edge. Shortly after we met through a

An adopted child’s time in an orphanage deprived him of his vital need for love, touch, and nurture, which serve

Here are the stories of one dozen children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and how their families found the answers

Published by Institute for Attachment & Child Development A sweet little kindergartener, with a Blues Clues backpack and big brown

For years I pulled out my hair not understanding why my parenting strategy was working with my birth and other

Great thought from adoptee advocate Anne Heffron. @anneheffron

 I After my son was placed in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) I went to therapy. Something was wrong

It’s the million-dollar question. How do we manage the behavior of children with RAD? Therapeutic approaches can seem scarily permissive.

Amazing study that shows kids who live on the same block–grow up in the same social class and schools–do not

How did resilience become a standard? How did we come to view children almost as nuisances who just need minimal

Here’s my op-ed on the Parkland shooting printed by the Sun-Sentinel. A mom’s take on mental health treatment: ‘I’ve tried

Mental health “workers” are chronically overworked, underpaid, and not appreciated. “Workers,” given a variety of job titles, are the day-to-day

Sadly, only 3% of foster care alumni will earn a bachelor’s degree compared to 60% of the general population. Many

What kind of parent calls the police when her kid has a tantrum? Or, even worse, tries to check him

By elementary school, Zoe seemed either sad or moody most of the time and had few friends. While Zoe had

An inspiring story of a family who used Disney animated movies to communicate with their non-verbal autistic son, Owen. Ultimately

Here in Charlotte, NC we’ve recently had a lot of news about Strategic Behavioral Center, a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility

If you adopted your child out of foster care and your child is special needs you should qualify for: Medicaid

Most often the services described below are bundled under an agency who is considered your child’s clinical home. (This may

Navigating the mental health system on behalf of our children, especially those with extreme behaviors, is like traversing hostile territory.

Angry, red finger marks curled around my son’s throat. His cheeks were blackened and swollen. A gash ran across his

My youngest sister gave birth to a baby boy in 2008. She has had a substance abuse problem and has

I adopted Devon out of foster care when he was four. For years I struggled to manage his behavioral problems on

There’s something missing from the Parkland shooting conversation. We need to talk about the fact that the mental health community

Parenting, for me, is complicated by two races, two cultures, one step kid, two adopted foster kids, two birth kids…and

As Anastasia grew older, her behaviors had Allan and his wife worrying all the more. They began to get calls

Since I was about 16, I have wanted to adopt children. Not babies, children. I really felt God had called

Today is Alexandra’s 12th birthday. Over the last 16 months we’ve had people reach out asking why she isn’t in

I adopted my three cousins six years ago. Mom and dad of one boy died of drug overdose, other lost

Rewind to five years ago. (Don’t I wish I could?) My then husband and I have enjoyed an empty nest

It took Jay and Jodi Bean of Alpine years to figure out why their new daughter brought anger and fear

This is a devastating story of a family struggling to love and raise two adopted foster children. The unfairness and

The feelings of guilt and shame the parents are burdened with, as the child injures other children and pets, defies