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Hi all! In May 2013 the RAD dx. will be changing to two new diagnoses. The new dx. are still really vague and too broad.
So, I'm writing about the new question that parents are asking themselves to understand their child's difficulties better, "What is the attachment style between myself and my child?" RAD is becoming an outdated way to understand adopted kids and now parents are learning how to identify attachment styles.
There are four styles: Secure, Ambivalent, Avoidant, and Disorganized. A brief synopsis:
Secure is healthy. The child has had consistent, loving care and seeks out the caregiver when she is scared, hurt, or separated from the parent. In the Ambivalent style, the caregiver has been adequate at times but also emotionally unavailable. The child is clingy and unable to be soothed when upset. The Avoidant interaction, the child has had a neglectful caregiver and is dismissive with the parent and acts as though they are not hurt or scared. Lastly, in the Disorganized relationship the child has been both frightened and comforted by the caregiver and isn't sure how to get their needs met.
What do you see in your child's significant relationships?
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It will be interesting to see what comes. I agree that there is a need for a breakdown. RAD, as I understand it, is really meant for attachment trauma that occurs during infancy that results in severe developmental issues such as lack of conscience development. But it seems to be attached to a lot of kids who have had latter losses. The later losses cause similar coping skills and behavior issues but these kids are more likely to heal.
I think your 4 styles of attachment get a bit confused when talking about kids who have had multiple caregivers. Maybe it would make more sense to me if your descriptions allowed for that: "Disorganized relationship the child has been frightened by some caregivers and comforted by others. The child isn't sure how to get their needs met."
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I think it is rather simplistic approach. The reality is that you can be a 100% therapeutic parent and your child can still have attachment difficulties. This is back to parent blaming to a certain extent. If a parent adopts a traumatized child with multiple disrupted attachments, and parents 100% therapeutically, that does not mean the child is capable of a secure attachment. That does not mean it is a "parent-child" dynamic, it means the child has significant mental health issues that need to be addressed through therapies and supports.
I rarely here the word RAD over here, it's far more common to talk the four attachment styles and to talk about insecure attachments. I think people sometimes confuse RAD with attachment issues, and when presented with a child who has attachment issues, they say "she/he has symtoms of RAD" or "she/he has mild RAD". When actually the child doesn't have it. I'm not sure if it's very helpful to talk about attachment issues as if it is secure attachments and then RAD after - IME there is a massive grey area in between and most children are in that grey area.On that note, it's worth noting that only something like 60% of the population have secure attachments to the people in their lives. However 40% of the population do not have severe attachment difficulties or RAD. They have some mild attachment issues, or a more insecure style of forming relationships. I bet everyone on this board knows someone who fits that description, someone who is insecure or tends to have quite a few problems in their relationships because of lack of trust, whether that shows itself as being really clingy, or avoiding discussing problems ever, and so on
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I'm actually glad they are breaking down the RAD diagnosis.
I have two kids with "Attachment disorder".. both very different in their behavior. They are definitely not the classis "RAD".
I would have to say my 8yo is a "secure" and my 6yo is "avoidant". Both had similar early life experiences, although my son actually had a much more secure infancy with a stable, loving foster home. His attachment came from leaving them at at age 1, to move in with us.
It's so interesting to me how two siblings can react so differently!