RAD when I first heard those initials I thought it was a disease but knew
different because at the time I was in a child development class trying to
obtain a degree in that field.
As time progressed on I learned it really was
a disease, a disease of children and that it had been around since the
beginning of time. It can be caused from a child being hospitalized and being
away from mom for a short or long period of time whereby the bonding between
the child and mom are interrupted. The most common cause of RAD is neglect
and abuse. I read all I could read about it at the time and found there are
different degrees of attachment disorder.
The symptoms are when a child
doesn't look anyone in the eyes and is unable to physically hug or show
affection. Their talk is very inappropriate and offensive. They sneak and
crazy lie. Crazy lying as I learned is when it will be found out very easily
that they aren't telling the truth. Now if its to the top of the scale as
far as how radical the behavior is they love blood, gore, are cruel to
animals and other children and are very sexual. Some children will even kill
animals.
This disease is difficult for schools to diagnose as there is no
test that will show them the child has it. He is just diagnosed as a
troublemaker and I know for fact many of the children end up in hospitals or
detention homes when in reality they need stability, love, lots of love and
understanding. You see a few years after I took this course I found myself
raising 3 beautiful boys. Our youngest one is RAD and we find he is not a
troublemaker but a troubled child who was abused, molested and starved.
The
specialist we work with assures us he is one strong boy or he would have
ended up with multiple personalities which is what happens to some of these
children. He also has epilepsy because of the blows to his head and has post
traumatic syndrome episodes in which he regresses to the past and we are left
trying to figure out what has triggered this again. He continues to try
while working with a therapist and medications while we continue to love him
which by the way he loves us back and has definitely bonded to me. It has
taken 5 years but we have faith as do the doctors that one day he will be a
whole person.
