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What is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?

Explore the complexities of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), a mental disorder resulting from adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Uncover the causes and impact of developmental trauma on children, and the challenges faced by parents. Learn how therapeutic parenting strategies can transform the constant tug-of-war with RAD-diagnosed children. Discover the power of dropping […]

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Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD): The Essential Guide for Parents

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! Understand developmental trauma and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) Learn tips and tricks to help you to navigate "the system" Get […]

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What it’s like being the sibling of a child with RAD

“It’s like living in a prison. We can’t go anywhere. All doors are locked. Alarms everywhere. We can’t have friends over. Stuff goes missing. We’ve all had black eyes, split lips and bite marks…we’re the ones who suffer.” – Grace, 14, on living with a sibling with reactive attachment disorder. Grace’s […]

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What is Developmental Trauma

To better serve children with developmental trauma, Kolk has proposed adding a new diagnosis to the DSM called Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD). The new diagnostic criteria requires exposure to chronic trauma before the age of 5. This diagnosis would fully encompass the symptoms of developmental trauma bringing them under one umbrella. […]

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How to Discipline a Child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) – Part I

It’s the million-dollar question. How do we manage the behavior of children with RAD? Therapeutic approaches can seem scarily permissive. Meanwhile, traditional parenting approaches backfire spectacularly. At the root, most behaviors children with RAD engage in are intended for self-preservation – by sabotaging relationships and controlling their environments. It’s unlikely, however, […]

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Raising a Child with Developmental Trauma

Raising a child with developmental trauma can be incredibly difficult and isolating. The more you understand your child’s trauma history, and learn about the science of trauma and therapeutic parenting, the better equipped you will be to help your child heal. […]

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95% of adoptive parents jump in heart-first, but unprepared

Our recent Facebook poll showed up to 95% of adoptive parents are not sufficiently trained on developmental trauma and the related diagnoses including Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Survey by @RaisingDevon March 2019 While adoptive parents don't understand the scope and magnitude of developmental trauma, they do do expect children coming out […]

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A to Z of Therapeutic Parenting

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. […]

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What to do when child protective services investigates…

An interview with Diane L. Redleaf, a family defense pioneer Nationally-known leaders have called Diane L. Redleaf the “conscience of the child welfare system,” the driving force behind creating a “better, fairer child welfare system” and “the people’s lawyer.” Diane has played a leading role in hundreds of important cases on behalf […]

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What to consider before you adopt…

Two-year-old Kayla was shy with dimples that winked when she laughed. Her brother, three-year-old Devon, had curly brown hair, freckles and a quick smile. We’d long dreamed of adopting foster kids and my husband and I jumped in heart-first. During the mandatory three-month pre-adoption waiting period, Devon and Kayla had some […]

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Dear friends & family

Dear Friend, I’ve told you before how I’m struggling with my child’s behavior but I’m not sure you understand how serious—how desperate—things are. Here’s the unvarnished truth—my child relies on manipulation and melt-downs to control his surroundings. He refuses to follow the simplest of instructions and turns everything into a tug-of-war […]

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How parents of kids with RAD get PTSD

"It’s unreasonable to force a parent to bond with a child whose behaviors have led to his or her PTSD,” said Institute for Attachment and Child Development Executive Director Forrest Lien. “The whole family needs healing in order to foster parent-child attachments." See also: How Raising A Traumatized Child can be […]

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