Do kids with RAD misbehave on purpose?

Great to share with family and friends who don’t “get it” and are second guessing your parenting!

For neglected and abused children who are diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), insecurity, fear, and hurt are stamped on the very core of their being—even if they only act this out unconsciously. Their brains are ‘stuck’ in survival mode and as a result everything is about control because they’re afraid, anxious, and uncertain about the world around them and their caregivers.

The child is usually not aware of why they are acting the way they are and is acting out of subconscious trauma-based feelings. Because of this, therapist say that our kids are not purposely misbehaving. But any parent of a child with RAD knows this is simply not true. These behaviors can be both subconsciously motivated and purposeful.