The Death Sentence Years ago in another life I was working as a police officer assigned to criminal investigations.  During my tour of duty, I was involved in investigating a Capital Murder case which would carry the death penalty as the punishment.  In the course of the investigation, I reported to the prosecutor’s office as […]

RAD and the IEP for School I have a great letter for teachers on my website that has helped many parents. These 7 areas should be written up in the IEP (Individual Education Plan) along with any specific needs the individual student has. The IEP for a child with RAD should include: Communication is essential! […]

Written by Aimie Apigian, MD. Let’s play the “What If” game for a second… What if… there was an underlying biology problem in your child that is making your job as can awesome parent harder? What if…there were easy tests you could order to specifically identify what biological problem there was with a just as […]

Toddlers have meltdowns. Toddler’s with RAD ,Reactive Attachment Disorder, having major meltdowns rather than mini meltdowns. Having some tools to help them to calm makes all the difference. When a toddler gets frustrated and has not yet built frustration tolerance they will express their feelings very loudly with your basic flop and yodel. How do […]

It just hurts! When a child approaches a strange woman and bats their eyes while oozing with cuteness  then tell her how beautiful she is, what cute shoes she has, and how she has all the right groceries. Then they throw the big one “Can I go home with you and live forever?” It breaks […]

By Nancy Thomas I was reaching for the whole milk in the grocery store when another shopper looked down her nose and growled, “ You aren’t giving that to your children are you!? They should have skim milk or 2%!” I replied, kindly, “Let me get your name and phone number so I can give […]

Passing the 5 Tests for Trust with RAD   Children with RAD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, are searching for a super hero to keep them safe. The key to healing their heart AND their brain is that feeling of safety. They test all adults they are entrusted to. That includes: Parents, Teachers, Therapist, babysitter, Sunday school […]

Written by Nancy Thomas Trauma hurts. It ripples through lives creating a tidal wave of health problems well documented in the “ACE” studies. Horrendous things happening to little ones interferes with normal brain and personality development UNLESS there is someone the child trusts to be a safe haven during that time. Usually that is the […]

The season for giving is upon us! The problem is, with our wounded children, that is a recipe for disaster! Children with RAD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, write the “gift list” with what they expect to receive to avoid the meltdown (like blackmail). Then they still melt down!! My children did the “gift list” with what […]

An old Bedouin metaphor says: Never let a camel get his nose in your tent. In the US we say: “Give them an inch and they will take a mile”. Truer words were never spoken when it comes to working with a child with RAD! Because they have massive trust issues, they choose to rule. […]