What are some Books about Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?
By
PsychReel
In this blog, we will discuss Books about Reactive Attachment Disorder, also cover what is reactive attachment disorder, its causes, its signs and symptoms, and answer frequently asked questions.
What are some Books about Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?
Books are one of the best ways to become more aware of a particular topic and there are various books that are based on RAD.
A brief list of books on RAD is given below:
- When Love Is Not Enough
- Parenting The Hurt Child
- Parenting The Difficult Child
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
We will be giving a brief introduction to these books in the later section but before that let us understand reactive attachment disorder.
What is reactive attachment disorder?
Reactive Attachment Disorder is a condition in which an infant or toddler or an adult is not able to form a secure, healthy emotional bond with his/her parents or people in general.
Although the term attachment disorder is ambiguous, the Diagnostic and statistical manual classifies reactive attachment disorder as a trauma- and stressor-related condition of early childhood caused by social neglect and maltreatment.
This disorder causes trouble building emotional attachments to others, as well as a reduced ability to experience good emotions, inability to seek or accept physical or emotional contact, and the potential for violent reactions when held, caressed or comforted.
Children need sensitive and responsive caregivers to develop secure attachments, if the love and affection are missing, the emotional development of the child is hampered. As these children reach adolescence and adulthood, socially neglected children are more likely to engage in illegal things like substance abuse, drugs and experience incarceration.
Causes of reactive attachment disorder
- A baby cries no one responds or offers comfort.
- The infant feels alone because no one looks at him, speaks to him, or smiles at him.
- The death of a parent
- Abusive parents or caretakers
- The parent is emotionally unavailable because of their own issues like depression, illness, or substance use.
Symptoms of reactive attachment disorder –
• Not seeking comfort or showing no response when comfort is given
• Struggling to form connections with other people
• Failure to smile
• Lack of trust and self-worth
• Hypervigilance
• Avoid eye contact
• Cry inconsolably
The circumstances that lead to attachment issues are sometimes inevitable, but the child is too young to comprehend what has occurred and why. To a young child, it appears that no one cares, and the child eventually loses trust in the world, making it an unsafe environment for the child.
When you’ve done everything you can, it can feel as if nothing is working for you and your efforts are in vain. Attachment issues can be repaired with time, patience, and a concerted effort.
For this, books written on reactive attachment disorder come to light, which can guide you when you are stuck with this problem. Finding good information is critical on your journey to better understand your child and access effective treatment.
Books on reactive attachment disorder
There are many more books available that can lead you to a path that can be fruitful and help yourself or your children. Books help you to find a way to deal with different situations that might come up when you are dealing with RAD patients.
Sometimes people cannot afford an appointment with professionals and some are confused whether they have attachment disorder or not. In these situations, the books mentioned above can be helpful.
Instead of juggling your efforts that might be of no worth, read a book, find out where it went wrong, what are the symptoms your child or you are facing, and then try to find solutions that might work for you. There are some real-life examples where these books proved beneficial and cured people.
These books are based on real-life incidents and some of them are written by psychologist professionals, so the content can be trusted and applied.
• When love is not enough by Nancy L. Thomas
Parents and professionals working with tough children can find hope and healing techniques in this handbook on parenting children with RAD. Effective interventions, a comprehensive step-by-step strategy, improved insight, and comprehension all make a significant impact in assisting children in their recovery.
Respectful, responsible, and enjoyable to be around children may all be learned. This book explains how to properly deal with youngsters that have RAD. Nancy Thomas’s techniques proved to do wonders, as it outlines a plan that may be difficult and sound crazy, but it actually works.
• Parenting the hurt child by Gregory Keck and Regina M. Kupecky
Many adopted children, according to Keck and Kupecky, have experienced substantial trauma, which has hampered their emotional development and hindered their capacity to bond with their new parents. The book spends considerable time outlining the causes and effects of childhood trauma, but its main focus is on equipping parents with the tools they need to connect with their adopted kids despite their hurt, anxiety, and fury.
• Parenting the difficult child by Howard Glasser
A Biblical Perspective on Reactive Attachment Disorder examines a child with defiant and violent behaviors as well as RAD features through the prism of the Bible.
It discusses how parents can apply the clear, practical solutions of Scripture to address the alienated, angry child’s habitual inner motivations, thoughts, and actions, using specific examples and practical implementation strategies. It demonstrates how to go to the heart of the matter and how to deal with manipulation.
• Reactive attachment disorder by Keri Williams
Adopting or fostering a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is beyond challenging. These children frequently engage in violent outbursts, tell outrageous lies, steal, play with filth, and hoard food.
They are shattered children who, all too often, crush the hearts of even the most caring caregivers. Many of these children’s parents feel completely alone as relatives, friends, and experts downplay their problems.
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) – The Essential Guide for Parents is written by a parent who understands what you’re going through. Keri has spent more than a decade navigating the mental health system while raising a son with RAD. This book is for you if you desperately need assistance navigating the challenging RAD road with your child.
• Attaching in adoption by Deborah D. Gray
Attaching in Adoption is a thorough reference for prospective and current adoptive parents on how to understand, care for, and develop healthy attachment in their adopted child. This famous publication offers practical parenting advice aimed at improving children’s happiness and emotional well-being.
It describes what attachment is, how loss and trauma can impair a child’s emotional development, and how to promote connection, respect, collaboration, and trust in children. Parenting approaches are linked to children’s emotional needs and developmental stages, and checklists are given to assist parents to assess how their child is progressing through each step.
Attaching in Adoption is a comprehensive guide for prospective and present adoptive parents who want to learn how to comprehend, care for, and establish healthy attachment in their adopted child. This well-known book provides practical parenting suggestions targeted at boosting the happiness and emotional well-being of children.
It explains what attachment is and how loss and trauma can affect a child’s emotional development, as well as how to encourage youngsters to connect, respect, collaborate, and trust one another.
Parenting styles are matched to children’s emotional needs and developmental stages, with checklists to help parents track their child’s progress through each stage.
• Detached: Surviving Reactive Attachment Disorder
This book is written by Jessie Hogsett and is based upon the story of a young kid who couldn’t really attach to his alcoholic mother. The boy felt lonely, sad, unloved, unsafe, and angry. Growing up he acted out like any other kid with Reactive Attachment Disorder and exhibited violent and antisocial behavior.
This book takes you back in time and you view a young boy’s life through his perspective and empathize with a young innocent boy who turns into an emotionally unstable teen.
Conclusion
We discussed what reactive attachment is, what are the symptoms of RAD, causes of RAD, various books on reactive attachment disorder, and also gave an introduction of these books.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What are some Books about Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?
What are the signs of reactive attachment disorder?
Signs of reactive attachment disorder vary from one person to another but the most common symptoms are :
• Not seeking comfort or showing no response when comfort is given
• Struggling to form connections with other people
• Failure to smile
• Lack of trust and self-worth
• Hypervigilance
• Avoid eye contact
• Cry inconsolably
What is an example of reactive attachment disorder?
An example of reactive attachment disorder can be a reaction to physical touch. A child when touched slightly by his/her/their parents, as a way of love, tends to get more irritated and often expresses their expressions and reactions in anger.
Is there hope for reactive attachment disorder?
Alas! There is no cure for RAD, as it is an acquired disorder and also brings about other psychological issues which can be cured or treated by medical professionals, but at present, this disorder, solely, has no treatment to make it vanish from a child’s anatomy.
How do you discipline a child with reactive attachment disorder?
There are a number of ways you can teach discipline to your child. They are :
- Stay calm and composed with your lessons, words, and actions.
- Start from the beginning after teaching discipline.
- Make boundaries and set limits gently.
- Do not express anger and impatience.
- All lessons and morals should fit the present scenario.
What happens to adults with reactive attachment disorder?
It has a lot of consequences on a person, like :
- Low self-esteem
- Adjustment issues in different phases of life.
- Poor mental well being
- Low self-efficiency
Can someone with reactive attachment disorder love?
It might be difficult for a person having this disorder to love or even rust another being seriously, but it depends on person to person. Considering the majority, it is often difficult and strenuous for a person to fall in love.
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