Just getting started on your RAD parenting journey? This little 99-cent book is literally a BIG bang for your buck!
Among caregivers of kids with RAD, these are the most popular books available today. Written from the RAD-parenting trenches, instead of an office armchair, they’re full of practical advice and straight-forward truth.
This book has great suggestions. A pretty quick read with lots packed into it ! importantly it has compiled so many resources in one place for us to plug into. Links to blogs, rad advocates, book suggestions and more. It will take me says to checkout all of these resources listed. I loved the sample letter to a therapist and letter to friends and family to help explain how you are struggling. So helpful as so many parents feel shame and try to hide what’s going on
This is the clearest, most honest book on Reactive Attachment Disorder I have read. Williams presents what is known about RAD—by experts, other RAD parents, and her own experience—in an easily-read format and style. She writes hopefully but also honestly, realistically, and unflinchingly.
Clear, practical advice for RAD parents
The place is awesome with attending staff. Excellent and authentic flavors. Will surely visit this place again. It also is an excellent place to have a business conversation. We really recommend this restaurant.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BUT, HE SPIT IN MY COFFEE
WINS 2022 INDIEREADER DISCOVERY AWARD FOR BEST NEW BOOK IN NON-FICTION
June 1st, 2022 – On Wednesday June 1st, IndieReader, one of the original review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, announced the winners of the eleventh annual IR Discovery Awards (IRDAs) for 2022. BUT, HE SPIT IN MY COFFEE by KERI WILLIAMS OF NORTH CAROLINA won in the BEST FIRST BOOK in the NON-FICTION category.
IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers. Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”
Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).
BUT, HE SPIT IN MY COFFEE received was the following verdict by IndieReader’s reviewers:
“BUT, HE SPIT IN MY COFFEE, Keri Williams’ gripping memoir of adopting a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), is a heartbreaking portrait of a family in crisis—and the child welfare and mental health systems that fail them again and again. Presented with raw, unguarded candor and masterful storytelling skills, BUT, HE SPIT IN MY COFFEE is a harrowing and unforgettable reading experience.”
# # #
If you are struggling to parent a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), this is the resource you need.
No platitudes or false hopes here, only practical suggestions that actually work!
Adopting or fostering a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is beyond challenging.They may have violent outbursts, engage in outlandish lying, steal, play with feces, and hoard food. With histories of early childhood trauma, kids with RAD too often break even the most loving of caregivers. Many parents of these children feel utterly isolated as family, friends, and professionals minimize the struggles.
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) – The Essential Guide for Parents comes from a parent who’s in the trenches with you. Keri has lived the journey of raising a son with RAD and has navigated the mental health system for over a decade.
J Michael Straczynski’s (JMS) new memoir, Becoming Superman: My journey from poverty to Hollywood, is compelling, heartbreaking, and inspirational. It provides unique insight for adoptive and foster parents of children who have been abused and neglected – a portrait of how these children are impacted and can develop Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).
JMS is most well known as the creator of Babylon 5, writer of Clint Eastwood’s Changeling which stars Angelina Jolie, and as a prolific writer of sci-fi and comic books. His new memoir shows how he built his career based on hard work and a belief in doing the right thing. What may come as a surprise is the details of his brutal childhood.
The story begins with JMS’s grandparents and follows the chilling thread of multi-generational trauma through three generations. While Joe makes no excuse for his sadistically abusive father, sexually abusive grandmother, and neglectful mother, this background enables readers to begin to understand how trauma can negatively impact multiple generations. In particular, we are able to feel some level of compassion for his mother who was kidnapped as a teenager by his father and spent her life as his captive, regularly beaten and mistreated.
Because his mother was emotionally unavailable due to her own suffering, JMS had no one to protect him. No one to love and care for him. Understandably, he suffered from inhibited RAD and struggled to form meaningful relationships and read social cues. Rising above a horrific childhood, JMS went on to become a Hollywood star. Fans and writers will enjoy the second half of the book which details his career stops and starts and ultimate success.
While RAD is not the primary topic of Becoming Superman: My journey from poverty to Hollywood, JMS does much to help raise awareness. He very effectively shows the reader the why and how of RAD. In addition, he provides an accurate and easily understood description for the disorder which will be new to many of his readers.
Pick up a copy of the new memoir here: Becoming Superman: My journey from poverty to Hollywood,
Here’s a social media shareable for you:
It’s hard to overstate how much I love this book. I had the joy of proofreading it for Cat (the author) in December and before I’d finished it I was telling my husband he needed to read it too. It’s one of those books that you just want everyone in your life to experience: family, friends, teachers… they all need a copy!
For me, Me, the Boy, and The Monster is up there with Sally Donovan’s legendary No Matter What in its practical, down-to-earth, reality-led perspective. Cat McGill is trained in psychology and really knows her stuff, and as an adoptive parent she is able to apply it in a meaningful way so you know she speaks from experience, not just theory. She gets it. But more than that, she lives it, just as we do. That’s what makes it so helpful.
For example, I think most adoptive parents by necessity have a reasonable understanding of the amygdala and its function within the brain, but Cat brings our understanding of the brain to life in an accessible way, using Jane Evans’ analogies of the ‘meerkat brain’, ‘elephant brain’ and ‘monkey brain’.
‘The Monster’ – Cat’s family’s label for her son’s trauma-fuelled behaviours –is a great way of personifying the problem and giving it an identity separate from her son, so that he isn’t viewed by others or himself as being to blame for responding to the trauma or things that trigger memories of it. This distinction is at the core of the book and is so incredibly helpful, particularly when conveying this necessary separation to family, friends, and teachers who need to understand.
I really think this should be on the shelf (or the Kindle) of every adopter, prospective adopter, post-adoption support worker, teacher… and so on. It deserves to be an adoption classic.
Get your copy of Me, the Boy, and The Monster here, and be sure to let Hannah and I know your thoughts!
Hannah helps fellow adoptive parents look after themselves and find the practical resources they need so that they are equipped to help their families thrive. She’s the adoptive mum of Joanna (10) and Charlotte (9), both of whom have additional needs. These include attachment disorders, PTSD, autism, ADHD and pFAS. Find her on social media @HLMeadows.
When Gina Heumann and her husband Aaron picked up their beautifulbaby boy from his Guatemalan foster mom, the warning signs were there. Maddox hadn’t been well taken care of or well loved. He screamed for the entire flight home.
But Gina, Aaron, and younger brother Landrey had no hesitations. They were sure all this sweet little boy needed was love and nurturing.
It wasn’t quite so simple.
Maddox’s screaming melt downs were beyond anything Gina and Aaron could have imagined. As he grew older he became violent at school and home. The family hit rock bottom when Maddox was put on probation at 12 for assaulting a teacher. 12. It was unimaginable – and they were out of options, patience, and strength.
But Gina and Aaron never stopped fighting. They learned love alone wasn’t enough, but love was what propelled them forward to persevere in searching for healing for Maddox.
Gina’s newly released book, Love Never Quits – Surviving & Thriving After Infertility, Adoption, and RAD, tells how her family succeeded against the odds. But it doesn’t gloss over the hard times. Happily ever afters like these take dedication, perseverance, and hard work.
Frustration, pain, and exhaustion seep through the lines of the book and fellow moms of troubled kid will see themselves in Gina’s story. She tried everything – and nothing worked. It’s heart-breaking, but ultimately heart-warming because after ten years of searching for answers, Maddox was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Through intensive treatment at the Evergreen Psychotherapy Center, the family found real solutions and slowly watched Maddox grow and bond with them.
Love Never Quits – Surviving & Thriving After Infertility, Adoption, and RAD is the realistic happily ever after story parents of children with RAD are looking for. It’s a dose of reality, but chock full of hope too. It’s written in the compelling and casual voice of a mom that’s easy to read and entirely enjoyable.
Check out this new release and let me know what you think in the comments!
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. Not only has he survived and thrived a childhood of horrific abuse and neglect, but he’s gone on to work in a treatment facility for troubled kids. Today he has a beautiful wife, five children, and a successful career.
Jessie understands the struggles of a child diagnosed with RAD in a way a parent alone never can.
His book, Detached: Surviving Reactive Attachment Disorder is an invaluable window into the psyche of a child struggling to overcome developmental trauma. His advice comes from personal experience and is invaluable to parents and clinicians alike.
Here’s a few gems of wisdom from Jessie:
These unconventional, practical suggestions are only a fraction of the 144 ideas included in Detached: Surviving Reactive Attachment Disorder.
Jessie is a huge asset to the parenting community and I’m looking forward to interviewing him soon. If there’s a specific question you’d like me to ask Jessie, please drop it in the comments.
Be sure to follow Jessie on social media for news and updates on his new upcoming book!
The a-z Of Therapeutic Parenting, Sarah Naish
We can’t always be therapeutic, no matter how hard we try, but we just need to be as therapeutic as we can, whenever we can. After all, we are only human!
– Sarah naish, adoptive parent and author
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 my review here. That’s how incredibly rare it is to find practical strategies that make sense.
But let me explain more… Sarah Naish is the adoptive parent of 5 children and fostered for years. She speaks from experience and that’s clear. Her book isn’t full of platitudes or theory. It’s practical which is what parents like myself are desperate for.
The book begins with general information on developmental trauma and strategic approaches. This is well written and helpful in making the paradigm shift from traditional parenting to therapeutic parenting. However, what makes this a 5-coffee review is PART 2: A-Z OF BEHAVIORS AND CHALLENGES WITH SOLUTIONS which is an indexed guide of behaviors with strategies to address each of them.
Each behavior (Lying, Food Issues, Brushing Teeth, Charming, and so many more!) has its own entry. Let’s take “Lying” as an example since that’s a hard one to deal with. Here’s a taste:
My Bottom Line
The a-z Of Therapeutic Parenting is practical and comprehensive help for foster and adoptive parents who are looking for parenting strategies. It’s obviously written from the trenches, not the desk of an academic. I can’t recommend this book enough- in fact, I’d add a dollop of whipped cream to my 5-coffee rating if I could!
Consider too joining the Therapeutic Parenting facebook group founded by author Sarah Naish. Be sure to let them know you heard about them from @RasingDevon.
The Body Keeps The Score , Bessell van der Kolk, MD
Being traumatized means continuing to organize your life as if the trauma were still going on—unchanged and immutable—as every new encounter or event is contaminated by the past.
– Bessell Van Der Kolk, MD.
The Body Keeps The Score reveals the mysteries of brain development – and disruption.
Leading trauma expert Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD expertly guides the average reader through the complex world of neuroscience. The book documents his journey which begins by working with adults suffering from PTSD to recognizing the need for a Developmental Trauma Disorder diagnosis for children who have been chronically abused and neglected.
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 into treatments he’s found useful including yoga. While Dr. Kolk is a highly technical, leading expert he’s repackaged this information in a way that can be easily understood by lay parents.
If you need help with the paradigm shift from traditional parenting to therapeutic parenting, this book may help.
It’s a long book but it’s well worth your time. I fit it into my busy mom schedule by listening on Audible!
My Bottom Line
The Body Keeps The Score is a thought provoking, comprehensive exploration of how our children’s behaviors may be linked to brain development that was disrupted due to trauma. It’s an important read for adoptive and foster parents who want to understand how trauma has affected their kids and catch the vision for therapeutic parenting.
These popular novels are twisty, psychological thrillers with surprise endings. They each feature a child with developmental trauma and/or RAD. Some details are true-to-life while others are just fiction…
Andy, a district attorney, believes his son Jacob, diagnosed with RAD, is innocent of the murder he’s been accused of. Andy puts all his efforts into Jacob’s defense despite mounting evidence against him. But is Andy really innocent?
Psychologist, Imogen, refuses to believe her new patient 11-year-old foster child Ellie, is dangerous. She’s determined to protect Ellie from the distrustful and cruel adults and children around her. But is she the one who needs protecting?
Hanna is a difficult, non-verbal child whose mother is chronically ill. She’s adored by her dad, but mistrusted by her mother, Suzette. After Hanna breaks her silence with whispers threats, bad things begin to happen. Is Hanna really dangerous?
*** WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW ***
When 14-year-old Jacob is accused of murdering a classmate it seems impossible – especially to his father, Andy, who is the local district attorney. Jacob is evaluated by a psychiatrist who diagnoses him with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). The psychiatrist tells the family it is “unusual” for a kid to develop RAD without experiencing any abuse, neglect, or trauma. As the investigation gets underway, Jacob’s mother Laurie begins to question his innocence.
Jacob is ultimately exonerated of the murder. A few months later, however, his girlfriend mysteriously disappears. Andy again defends Jacob vigorously and will not consider the possibly he’s capable of these crimes. However, the truth dawns on Laurie as incriminating evidence mounts. Laurie is deeply conflicted by fear, guilt, shame, love, and desperation. To atone for herself, and to save Jacob from himself, Laurie purposely crashes her minivan into a concrete barrier, killing Jacob instantly.
What’s just fiction – It’s impossible to have with RAD without an underlying trauma per the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The author could have incorporated one of the causes of RAD in a “typical” biological families into his plot. Also, it’s unlikely for a child with RAD to be homicidal, as Jacob is, unless he has other serious co-morbid mental illnesses.
And what’s not – The story effectively portrays the common RAD symptoms of extreme manipulation and how father’s often do not “get it.” Also, the conflicted feelings of the mother are realistic and true-to-life. While her ultimate actions are unthinkable – real-life mothers of children with RAD may understand her desperation.
Read Defending Jacob
Ellie, an 11-year-old foster child, the only survivor of a house fire that took her entire family. She’s a child with a trauma background, but is now in a nice foster home. Unfortunately, she’s facing bullying from peers and dislike from teachers. Idealistic child therapist Imogen immediately lays blame on those around Ellie and is certain they are projecting their distain onto her. Wanting to shield Ellie from the unfair treatment of others, Imogen oversteps boundaries in the therapeutic relationship.
All too coincidental “accidents” happen around Ellie. For example, her foster brother teases her at dinner then wakes up and his mouth is super glued shut. Imogen is the only one who believes Ellie is the victim, not the perpetrator. In an unexpected twist, it turns out Ellie’s foster sister, resentful of foster children coming in and out of the home, is to blame for many of the problems. However, in the final scene we find Ellie flicking a lighter and contemplating her future. We realize she murdered her family and was complicit in what happened in the foster home.
What’s just fiction – While these situations can be difficult for siblings, the foster sister’s actions seem highly unusual and unlikely. Also, the book portrays many of Ellie’s responses as involuntary which is not always the case for children with developmental trauma. They can be angry and act out quite willfully.
And what’s not – While Ellie’s behaviors may seem over-the-top, unfortunately, they are all to familiar to parents of kids with RAD. The story also effectively captures how a therapist can be manipulated and mislead in these situations complex situations.
Read The Foster Child
Hanna is a difficult, non-verbal, 7-year-old. Her mother, Suzette, has a debilitating medical condition that has left her distant. While Hanna is not formally diagnosed with RAD, the hallmarks are there and likely a result of having an unavailable primary caregiver. Hanna is highly intelligent, but has angry outbursts and is kicked out of kindergarten. Suzette must homeschool Hanna who grows increasingly defiant, rebellious and resentful towards her. Meanwhile, Hanna is charming and loving with her father, Alex. He sees only an obedient, clever child. Hanna’s first words are whispered threats towards Suzette. And as Hanna begins to target her mother with physical violence, Suzette grows increasingly fearful.
It’s only after the situation has grown frighteningly dangerous that Alex happens to witness Hanna’s violent behavior for himself and understands there is a problem. Husband and wife work together to send Hanna to a residential treatment facility and they quickly accept the reality that she will live there indefinitely. In a sinister final twist, Hanna realizes what she must do. She must follow the rules at the facility so she can go home, get rid of her mom, and have her father all to herself.
What’s just fiction – The ease at which the family finds residential treatment for Hanna, and how quickly they accept her need for long-term care does not mirror the reality of most real-life families in this situation.
And what’s not – Most children with RAD target their mother, as Hanna does. They also hide their behavior well from their father and this can cause serious marital discord. While Hanna’s behaviors seem too extreme to be believable, parents of kids with RAD know they are in fact not that far fetched.
Read Baby Teeth
An inspiring story of a family who used Disney animated movies to communicate with their non-verbal autistic son, Owen. Ultimately this creative approach led Owen out of the darkness. He went on to graduate from high school, get a job, live independently, and connect in meaningful relationships.
While this story is about autism specifically we can all learn from this family’s ability to recognize an opportunity to creatively connect with their child and help them live the best life possible.
Find it on Amazon: Life Animated A Story of Sidekicks Heroes and Autism
