RAD is a Crazy Disorder
Caring for a child with RAD or any Attachment Disorder can be trying, but seeing the humor is a way to provide a sense of ease to parents and caretakers who are on the edge of their own sanity. Sponsored by Orchard Human Services, Inc. … a 501(c)3 nonprofit that uplifts lives through counseling, educating & caring. Orchard provides services to the Metro Atlanta area including Alpharetta, Marietta, College park, Cumberland, and Hiram. Contact Orchard here.
Anyone who has ever loved or cared for a child with an attachment disorder such as RAD or DSED knows that it is one of the most frustrating and challenging disorders. RAD stands for Reactive Attachment Disorder while DSED stands for Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder. Both are forms of Attachment Developmental Disorder that can result from interruption of healthy infant and early childhood development as well as interference in the healthy bonding between the infant/child and primary care giver.
Reactive Attahment Disorder on Biteable.
Join us as we celebrate the unexpected moments of joy and humor that can occur in the midst of the tragedy, trial and tribulation of RAD. On the day of this posting, Thanksgiving, we celebrate one of our special and dear children with RAD. To celebrate the holiday, one little guy hurled raw eggs across the garage onto the drywall beyond the motorcycles. Our favorite – and most exasperating – memory of this little guy was when he hit a pair of soiled super hero underwear in the back of the Christmas tree. As we took down the tree, packing away the lights and ornaments, we discovered the little gem neatly tucked away in a branch facing the wall.
Looking back, we can hardly believe the incredible progress we’ve seen with our Christmas-tree decorator … and the many other youth we have worked with over the years. Some are active in school and the community, others in college. In some cases, they have gone on to have their own families.
No matter what the age of the child, therapy to resolve the symptoms of Attachment Disorder is hard work and takes time. Most importantly, it takes a village. We work with parents, teachers, medical providers, administrators, and local charities to create the village that can support each child to achieve healthy development.
We delight in the incredible progress in the face of overwhelming trauma and abuse. We are particularly joyful about the recovery of our Christmas Tree Decorator … And we marvel at his incredible ingenuity in always coming up with a new and unique way to break social rules and create his own brand of joyful chaos!
While we laugh at the trials and tribulations, we always remember that after the hard work comes the reward: Seeing these children grow to become healthy, happy, and whole humans who are able to freely live, learn, and love.
Darleen Claire Wodzenski, MA ESE, MA CMHC, PhD specializes in promoting learning and development of children with Disordered Attachment such as RAD and DSED. She encourages parents and caregivers to stop and find the humor in some of the frustrating and challenging behaviors of children with disordered attachment.
Dr. Darleen Claire provides direct services including child counseling, educational advocacy and intervention, child therapy and family and developmental services around the Metro Atlanta area including Alpharetta, College Park, Cumberland, Marietta, Milton and Hiram.
She can be reached at 770-686-0894 or by email at D@OrchardHumanServices.org
