Attachment  Disorder:

• Children with these behaviors are extremely challenging to parent, even for experienced and highly capable families.

• Traditional methods seem ineffective and parents often feel hopeless. They then may present as hostile or angry to outsiders.

• In addition, since the children may seem charming to outsiders, their families are often misunderstood and judged by their community and can feel very alone in their struggles.

• Family, friends and teachers often see a very different child from the one the parents face on a daily basis. This often creates misunderstandings and hard feelings between adults, resulting in the loss of a family support networks.

• Families may labor in love for years to seek the best for their child, only to feel that their child will not accept their love or love them in return.

Some Causes of Attachment  Disorder:

1. Abuse & Neglect Before Age Of 3 Years
2. Multiple Caregivers
3. Basic Needs Not Met
4. Caregivers Mental Illness – Parents Emotionally Unavailable
5. Substance & Alcohol Abuse
6. Medical Issue – Chronic Pains, Premature Birth
7. Prolonged Absence Of Caregiver
8. Unstable Family – Witness severe & Ongoing Domestic Abuse, Poverty.

Symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder:

1. Superficially Engaging And Charming
2. Lack Of Eye Contact On Parent’s Terms
3. Indiscriminately Affectionate With Strangers – Not On Parents Terms.
4. Cruelty To Animals And Younger Or Weaker Children
5. Crazy Lying
6. Stealing (Hoarding Food)
7. No Impulse Controls
8. Learning Lags
9. Lack Of Cause And Effect Thinking
10. Lack Of Conscience
11. Abnormal Eating Patterns
12. Poor Peer Relationships
13. Preoccupation With Fire, Blood And Gore
14. Persistent Nonsense Questions And Chatter
15. Inappropriately Demanding And Clingy
16. Abnormal Speech Patterns
17. Manipulation And Triangulation Of Adults
18. False Allegations Of Abuse
19. Entitlement Issues
20. Parents Appear Angry/Hostile
21. Controlling
22. Do Not Trust Adults Will Care For Their Needs
23. Defiant
24. Puts Self And Others At Risk

These are not the symptoms vaguely listed in the DSM IV-I-R, they are an expansion and detailing of the common behaviors described by families raising children with the diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder.