Reactive Attachment Disorder

[cklugel]

We adopted our son at 15 knowing he suffered severe neglect including starvation as a 1 year old and was left alone for a week in an apartment on two different occasions. Bio mother was vagrant and alcoholic and he suffers from FASD as well as RAD. We were fooled and thought he had attached to us but 14 years institutionalized made him crafty at playing people. He has social skills and can talk to anyone on surface level only. When he turned 18, it became very apparent that he had RAD. He became violent and left our home( a safe, peaceful place). He could not seem to function unless there was chaos. He is 21 now and we have no idea where he is or how he is doing. Although we send daily messages to his cell phone wishing him a good day and reaffirming we love and miss him, he does not acknowledge us. It’s been 2 years since I’ve seen him and it breaks my heart. Can these kids function as adults successfully if they refuse therapy and won’t acknowledge that they are different?

[asasial]

Looking like I will be diagnosed with RAD at 44.
Never in foster care or anything.
Just an absolutely horrible step mother, rest of the family blamed me for everything.
EVERYTHING.

[jaymccarthy]

It's not easy being an adult of atachment disorder

[a-livinghope.]

I was adopted from Russia and have RAD. I do believe it can heal ... one day at a time.

[sissidavis]

I find interesting the hundreds of videos explaining what it is but so few about what to do! I joined groups on facebooks of parents and all they talk is how to get rid of them by the age of 18 and still make it legally... very sad, especially when all parents want is to be able to help them! Help the adopted kids not to heal or get cured but be able to see that we are there for them at least.

[FieldFarmForest]

I am the adoptive mother of a 12 year old boy who has RAD, FASD, Autism, SPD, Central Nervous System Damage from prenatal meth use by his Bio mother. Our life is a wild roller coaster ride but I see glimpses of healing and joy happening after 10 years of intense therapeutic parenting by, keeping this little elf boy at my side and with the interventions of the wonderful support people in our lives. Come and see our life as I share the joyful moments to spread hope to parents out there entrenched in the darkness of RAD.

[asasial]

I believe the following the strangers (maybe not so much approaching) if from fear.
In my case I had zero choice in doing EXACTLY as I was told.
That fear and trauma made me do pretty much anything any adult who didn’t appear destitute told me to do.
It was more fear than anything.
That being said. If you were nice to me I would have followed you almost anywhere wanting the positive attention.

[floorfloorfloor]

This is a server for everyone that likes to be in their room, is bad at socializing, or has mental illness. Many of us at this time are Maladaptive Daydreamers (people that involuntarily daydreaming for long period of time) and we want it to include other people that could benefit from talking about our issues, how our individual lives are affected, giving advice, and bonding.

[KYMom]

I had this as a small child, before 5 yrs old

[crystalgilliam]

This is very out of date. They are finding that children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs can have these same RAD issues

[fancynancylucille]

Again, another guy claims that children with autism rarely have a history of

[ravenfeathesDVM]

This guy isn’t correct at all. One of my three children has been diagnosed with rad and she was NEVER treated any differently than my other children. We had a very affluent life, I was a work at home mother, very attentive, loving, and they were all treated the same. She was quite a bit more “needy” and no one, could ever satisfy her on any level. She’s now 32 and in a long term relationship but will not marry or have children. She doesn’t have sex with her boyfriend and is very difficult to deal with on every level. She has no friends, no hobbies, and does well at her job. Nothing happened to her when she was a child to be diagnosed with rad. You can’t for everyone into your pigeon hole.