Interventions for Reactive Attachment Disorder

Interventions for RAD

According to www.excellenceforchildandyouth.ca

"A number of organizations have written reports outlining treatment recommendations for RAD (e.g., the American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the Centre for Child and Family Health, University of Kansas Best Practices in Child and Youth Mental Health Reports). Relevant documents can be found in the references section, and the points listed below are a synthesis of common themes between these sources. One meta-analysis (Bakermans–Kranenburg et al., 2005) was found on the topic of disorganized infant attachment, which focused on interventions that were designed to change from a disorganized style to an organized style. The main findings from this meta-analysis were: Interventions were most effective when they started after but close to the age of 6 months, which suggests there may be an optimal time period to intervene to support the development of a stable, attached relationship." 

Some of the interventions/therapies suggested in the literature include; Attachment and Biobehavioural Catch-up (ABC) intervention, Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and Circle of Security Intervention (COS). Attachment and Biobehavioural Catch-up therapy consist of teaching parents that their children need to be nurtured even if the child acts like they do not want to be. It helps parents become more nurturing and provides the child with a responsive and predictable environment. Child-Parent Psychotherapy intends on strengthening the child-parent relationship. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is also for increasing the child-parent relationship and is more focused on children with behavioural and emotional problems. Circle of Security Intervention helps parents to be able to respond to their child’s needs sensitively.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE INTERVENTIONS

·        Attachment and Biobehavioural Catch-up

http://www.cebc4cw.org/program/attachment-and-biobehavioral-catch-up

·        Child-Parent Psychotherapy

http://www.cebc4cw.org/program/child-parent-psychotherapy

·        Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

http://www.cebc4cw.org/program/parent-child-interaction-therapy

·        Circle of Security Intervention

http://www.cebc4cw.org/program/circle-of-security

NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES

Knowing where to find resources with up-to-date, proven information on the best practices for many mental health and mental illness issues including Reactive Attachment Disorder can be useful informing one another and having the knowledge to make any mental health or illness easier to cope and get help. The Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health has many resources and services readily available.

For more information, visit:

• http://www.excellenceforchildandyouth.ca/what-we-do 

• http://www.excellenceforchildandyouth.ca/resource-hub

• http://www.ementalhealth.ca

Information received from

Click here for PDF of where this information was collected from

Image received from
Paper Family Holding Hands

References

(2012, January). Retrieved from www.excellenceforchildandyouth.ca: file:///C:/Users/Marcy/Downloads/eis_reactive_attachment_disorder%20(5).pdf

Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., van Ijzendoorn, M.H., Juffer, F. (2005). Disorganized infant attachment and preventative interventions: A review and meta-analysis. Infant Mental Health Journal, 26, 191-216. 
Google. (n.d.), [Paper family holding hands], retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://shakeupyourstyle.com/family/

Tools and Resources

There are many resources and tools for people struggling with reactive attachment disorders, their parents and their CYC workers. 

Within the resources, there are several books of choice that have found to be beneficial. For parents of adopted children, there is the book named Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today's Parents by Deborah Gray. Another book to help build the attachment between parent and child is Building the Bonds of Attachment by Daniel Hughes and Jason Aronson. In addition, there is When Love is Not Enough: A Guide to Parenting Children with RAD-Reactive Attachment Disorder by Nancy L. Thomas that explains the disorder and how to manage and overcome it. 

For people who struggle with more severe cases, there are treatment centers. The biggest one is a treatment center in Indianapolis, IN. The number to reach them is 866 768 8155. They offer a variety of services for youth who are suffering from emotional, behavioural, developmental, and psychiatric concerns. Thir website offers information about reactive attachment disorder and further resources: https://www.resourcetreatmentcenter.com/behavioral/reactive-attachment/.

In addition, there are numerous treatments, this includes, but is not limited to: attachment and Biobehavioural Catch-up (ABC) Intervention, child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), and the circle of security intervention (COS). All of the preceding lists has helped many, to find the one that best suits you and your child, speak to your doctor, therapist or CYC.

Written by: Rachel Nelson

Resources
- Resource Treatment Center. (2019). Reactive Attachment Disorder Treatment Program | Indianapolis, IN | Resource Treatment Center. [online] Available at: https://www.resourcetreatmentcenter.com/behavioral/reactive-attachment/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].
- Cebc4cw.org. (2019). CEBC » Search › By Program Name. [online] Available at: https://www.cebc4cw.org/search/by-program-name/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].
- Dr. Michelle Bengtson. (2019). Resources for Reactive Attachment Disorder. [online] Available at: https://drmichellebengtson.com/resources/reactive-attachment-disorder/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].

Treatment for Reactive attachment Disorder

( Better Help, 2019). 

 Treatment 

Treatment for reactive attachment disorder( RAD)  focuses on repairing and/or creating emotionally healthy family bonds. It aims to strengthen relationships between children and their caregivers in a way that can later help the child to develop other healthy relationships in their lives.  

When it comes to treating RAD it is beneficial for both child and caregiver to be present during the treatments. ( Child Mind Institute, n.d,). Treatment may include things such as Psychotherapy/Counseling, Family therapy, Social Skills Intervention, special education, and parenting skill classes. 

 Psychotherapy/counselling is a mental health provider that works with children and their caregivers in many different ways, in some cases, it can be one-on-one with jus the child and other time it just the caregiver and other times it will take both caregiver and child at the same time, this will help build skills and reduce problematic patterns of behaviour.

 Family therapy is another way that one might choose to go about helping a child who is dealing with RAD.T Family therapy involves the child working together with the primary caregiver to develop the ways to interact in a  healthy way, which they can practice at home and in their everyday lives to further rebuild the bond between child and caregiver. 

Social skill intervention is another type of therapy that can be used to manage or treat RAD. This type of therapy teaches the child how to interact more appropriately with other children especially those who are in the same age range as the child with RAD, caregivers often can also get involved and help the child to use the skills they have learned. 

Parenting skill classes are more for the caregiver of the child who has been diagnosed with RAD. In these sessions, the caregivers may learn more effective ways of managing their child's challenges and symptoms of RAD. This type of therapy can be more beneficial as managing and disciplining a child with RAD can be hard at times for the caregiver. (Clevland Clinic, 2018). 

Sadly there is no magical cure for RAD. RAD is an acquired disorder and it happens during the critical periods of brain development, there is no medication or medical treatment that is able to "cure" the disease but there are things that the child and caregiver can do to help with the symptoms of RAD. They may have good days where the child is interacting but they may also have days where RAD  is more prominent.