Reactive Attachment Disorder

1. Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) By: Ivy McKee

2. What is RAD? • Causes children to be unable to make healthy relationships with those around them, specifically parents and caregivers. • Once established can affect future relationships for the child. • Very rare, but also extremely serious.

3. Who is affected? • RAD affects children, and hits it’s peak at roughly the age of 5. • abused, forgotten, or change homes and caregivers several times. • Long term condition

4. Treatment • 1)Psychological counseling with the individual • 2)Educating the caregivers • 3)Therapy with the entire family • 4)Medication for other contributing illnesses such as Depression,anxiety, or hyperactivity • 5)classes on parenting for the caregivers • 6)observation of child’s patterns

5. Diagnoses • 1)ruling out other disorders like PTSD, Anxiety disorders, Social phobia, Conduct disorder, and ADHD • 2)Observing children through a screening • A child must meet the following criteria during a diagnoses of this illness: • The child must have inappropriate social relationships before they are 5 years old. The child must also have trouble responding to human relationships and outreaching strangers. Lastly, the child is usually reacting to neglectful caregivers at a young age, not having their emotional or physical needs met.

6. Resources • Just search the term RAD and you can find many support groups and informational websites. • Several support groups that exist online are ATTACh, and organization that focuses on attachment disorder within the adoptive community www.addopting.org). • ADSG, a site made for families dealing with RAD (adsg.wyix.com). • And lastly, www.radzebra.org, a network for discussion and support for people with RAD.