Attachment Disorder

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....

I have seen a number of families helping each other out. I think those P-cwad and C-cwad ) (parents and caregivers of children with attachment disorder) can be very supportive to each other as you all share common experiences and one of the best supports is talking to others who live through it or are living with it, and also those who have seen improvements. I also have had several parents who have been willing to provide some respite for others. I only recommend the respite if I think the respite caregiver will follow a structured, tight childcare. NONE of my P-cwad and C-cwad have ever wanted the child to go away and come home worse!! Makes things worse at home and child then feels superior. Many things in the cwad realm are mysteries - I often say I don't know why and, again, we could go crazy trying to get in the minds of these children and trying to understand them with our minds. Sometimes it is best to let go, shrug your shoulders, say it "just is" but discipline ...