Attachment Disorder

The Attachment Disorder Dilemma Attachment Disorder Updates Hi - just a quick comment to let you know I'm out here, trying to offer support when I can.  The news has brought news of relevance to parents of children with RAD - as I lovingly term them, CWAD.  Children with attachment disorder.  Anyway, I had a mom say to me after the awful Newtown news, that she could relate to being the mother of that young man that was so "sick."  I realize that is true.  It was awful to believe that someone has that ability, but some of you parents - P-CWAD - have seen those moments in your children. The second news segment that just happened is about Russia banning adoptions to the US.  As another person said, that's probably good news for some of the parents, because sometimes the children from Russia have many, many issues.  But there are those children that provide a great deal of joy.  And there are parents who are currently waiting for some of thos...

How is the media about attachment disorder lately?  I really don't know even though I do therapy.  When I worked in child welfare the talk was much greater, but I am now in schools and never hear about it.  I believe part of it is the economy.  Families are being abandoned and having to deal with the issue on their own as there are not many resources available anymore.  I received a perfect email today from someone really struggling and they had tried many available resources but they did not work with true RAD kids - actually i prefer CWAD - child with attachment disorder.  So many options are a waste of time and very frustrating to parents, giving the CWAD even more power. I feel very bad for families when this happens as it is so much wasted time, but more than that, it is energy and emotional health at stake, that of the parents. Life's Outlook Here's my website .

I have worked with a number of years with children with attachment disorder (CWAD).   What is their need to be in control about?   That is one of the symptoms of Attachment Disorder and it is a major one that gets in the way of being a part of a family.   I have come to believe that children that have been abandoned and developed attachment disorder have to stay in control of their own life as they feel they will die if they are NOT in control of their own life.   Well, imagine an infant and/or a fetus who is not taking care of, nurtured, fed, changed, held.   Well, if they are going to survive they need to stay in control of their own life and being.   No one else took care of them.   From that perspective isn’t it easy to understand why they need to stay in control.   A matter of life or death for them.   The need to be in control for CWAD can show up as a refusal to cooperate with anything they are told to do, they will do it their way....

Remember - CWAD is short for child with attachment disorder. As a therapist I often get involved in some mental gymnastics with my CWAD clients. They are OFTEN very intelligent and yet are very rigid in their thinking. The point of challenging them mentally is to help them see the illogical, irrational thinking they engage in. I certainly don't expect results from this challenging, but I have seen some results. With these children, they often need frequent repetition to re-train their brain. My parent clients are always very frustrated at how these children do not get the message even though they may have heard something 1000 times or more while other children only need instruction a few times. CWAD often enjoy manipulating people and triangulating and these issues often come up in therapy. One of the things I am best at is not being manipulated and this tends to make my child clients very angry. I tend to be pleased when children do not like me as a therapist, because that...

So, I'm in the process of developing new products - for me there has been a great deal of education on internet marketing and in that I've learned new ways to do things - efficient, etc. I tried audacity for my audio but had to purchase sony audio to use instead. Tim wasted and frustrating. Hopefully this week. CD session 1 for parents will be out. I have 10 editions of my brief newsletter for follow-up if you sign up on my website. I believe my next training to be submitted will be for professionals and another audio for parents. There is so much need for help to get out there and in these financial times, families do not have as many resources. So, pay close attention and see what's coming next. I also have submitted articles on Ezine Articles online, free for your perusal. Hang in there. Remember, you are not alone. Remember our mission is "More peace and joy in your life" because of what we can offer. Christine Appell-Naff, LCPC www.theattachmentgroup.or...

Hi -News from the Office - I work in Illinois with many foster/adoptive families. Well, things aren't looking so good right now for those families. The state of Illinois, as with many other states, is in dire financial straits. Well, it seems they are willing to play games with the children and families that have adopted these special children with many difficult needs. I do not believe it is the state department dispensing of the children's needs, but the politicians deciding it is not their problem - they are more invested in political battles. I am not sure what these families will do, also at a time when insurance companies are more restrictive, when jobs are being lost, and money is slim - they will be left on their own with the disturbed children they care for. I am anxious to see what happens. Again, it would be my deepest wish that children would not be born into families that do not have the love, desire, and or capacity to take care of them - that is the true cr...

So, the issue of attachment disorder never goes away, does it? I have slowed down quite a bit in my private practice because of my disorganized multi-tasking. But clients continue to find me without advertising or pursuing clients. One of the most common ways is to find websites that list therapists in the different states. I also have testified in court recently. The legal system and attachment disorder is such a scary combination. I have begun work on my cd's and when school is out in 2 weeks, I expect a number of materials to emerge, as I have been working on them in my head for years. I am now chomping at the bit to get things going. Don't you like my cute colloquialisms in the blog? I have found myself using humor a lot lately. Again, some advice for parents - DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY - IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IT IS THEIR PROBLEM BUT THEY WANT TO MAKE IT YOUR PROBLEM. Paste this on your refrigerator!! Please feel free to respond to my blog and let me know what yo...

Well, I am totally amazed that it has been soooooo long since I have been online. I have another job, but my, 10 months pass quickly. Please bear with me. I have a wonderful foster/adoptive mom who has done some respite for families - she gets it and what a help for families with children with attachment disorder. they are not able to manipulate the situation and go home worse than before. This is a valid fear many families have. This is all I'm writing tonite but I wanted to get started again. Please see my website at TheAttachmentGroup.org.