Attachment Problems, Page 2

What is Attachment Disorder/Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?

The exposure to stress with some children has been so significant that they stand outside of any category of severity. These children give trauma a new definition. Most are or have been in foster care, have had repeated life or death experiences, have had several changes in caregivers, all have suffered from some form of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse, and generally they have never been successfully treated. The most popular term for these children is Attachment Disorder, however, most have received every diagnosis available for severe emotional and behavioral disturbances ranging from attention-deficit hyperactivity to bi-polar and depression. In addition, most have received various combinations of psychotropic medication. (Post, 2001)

Children with reactive attachment disorder see the world differently than we do. For these children, life is a constant threat. Such threats can be interpreted through all manner of sensory stimulation. In other words, a sight, sound, smell, taste, or elevation in body temperature can trigger such children into an overwhelming fear state. Because they were unable to develop the necessary ability to calm this fear early in life, they may become violently reactive in this state. It is of little consequence that a new home may provide love, security, and nurturance when such children become frightened. This frightening event is oftentimes not observed by the parent because the brains of such children are hypersensitive and highly reactive. It can and generally does occur within a millisecond and may build up throughout the course of a day, week, or month, presenting as a violent and long-lasting outburst, or period of complete disconnection and dissociation. Even children who have been adopted into a home at a very young age may have already experienced significant enough trauma to impact development and stress response. Biological children who suffer a separation from their primary caregiver due to illness, etc. can be equally impacted if the event is traumatic or overly-stressful.

The child with an attachment disorder having experienced past significant trauma is tremendously impaired in his ability to calm down. In other words, he is unable to calm the interworkings of his brain and body system responsible for effective stress hormone discharge and soothing. This state is trauma induced and is the brain and body’s natural fear reaction gone awry. In this manner, the fetus, infant, or child is product to an overly stressful environment or event attributing to extreme fear sensitivity (Post, 2001).

Symptoms

  • Intense control battles, very bossy and argumentative; defiance and anger
  • Resists affection on parental terms
  • Lack of eye contact, especially with parents - will look into your eyes when lying
  • Manipulative - superficially charming and engaging
  • Indiscriminately affectionate with strangers
  • Poor peer relationships
  • Steals
  • Lies about the obvious
  • Lack of conscience - shows no remorse
  • Destructive to property, self and/or others
  • Lack of impulse control
  • Hypervigilant/Hyperactive
  • Learning lags/delays
  • Speech and language problems
  • Incessant chatter and/or questions
  • Inappropriately demanding and/or clingy
  • Food issues - hordes, gorges, refuses to eat, eats strange things, hides food
  • Fascinated with fire, blood, gore, weapons, evil
  • Very concerned about tiny hurts but brushes off big hurts
  • Parents appear hostile and angry
  • The child was neglected and/or physically abused in the first three years of life

Potential Causes

  • Neglect
  • Abuse
  • Separation from the primary caregiver
  • Changes in the primary caregiver
  • Frequent moves and/or placements
  • Traumatic experiences
  • Maternal depression
  • Maternal addiction - drugs or alcohol
  • Undiagnosed, painful illness such as colic, ear infections, etc.
  • Lack of attunement between mother and child
  • Young or inexperienced mother with poor parenting skills
    DSMIV Diagnostic criteria for 313.89
    Reactive Attachment Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood
    Behavenet Clinical Capsule

A special thanks to Dr. Bryan Post at www.bryanpost.com and Nancy Geoghegan at www.attachmentdisorder.net.

terri@healtheheart.org

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Credits: Used with permission from:

Terri Adams
Heal the Hearts
909-315-3568
www.healtheheart.org
terri@healtheheart.org