References

References for Pictures used through this blog:

Pictures:

Discovery Mood. (2019). [Reactive Attachment Disorder: Myths and Undersetandings] [Photograph] Discovery Mood & Anxiety Programs https://discoverymood.com/blog/common-myths-misunderstanding-reactive-attachment-disorder/

HelpGuide.org. (2021) [Attachment Disorder in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment] [Photograph] The Help Guide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/attachment-issues-and-reactive-attachment-disorders.htm

Scientific Animations. (2019). [Reactive Attachment Disorder Explained] [Photograph] Scientific Animations https://www.scientificanimations.com/3d-medical-animation-describing-reactive-attachment-disorder/

Twink.les. (2021). [What is Attachment Disorder in Early Years?] [Photgraph] Twink.les https://www.twinkl.es/teaching-wiki/attachment-disorder-in-early-years

The Chaos and the Clutter. (2021). [Recognizing the Signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder] [Photograph] The Chaos and the Clutter https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/recognizing-signs-reactive-attachment-disorder

References for Information Used: 

Attachment and Trauma Network, ATN. (2021). About the Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc. Attachment and Trauma Network. https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/about/

Buckner, J., Dunkel, S., Joiner, T., Lopez, C. (2008). Behaviour Management Training for the Treatment of Reactive Attachment Disorder. StatPearls Publishing LLC. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NBCI). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2566997/

Child Mind Institute. (2019). RAD: Treatment. Child Mind Institute Inc. https://childmind.org/guide/reactive-attachment-disorder/treatment/

Cleveland Clinic. (2018). Reactive Attachment Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. My Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17904-reactive-attachment-disorder

eMentalHealth (2020). Attachment Problems. eMentalHealth - An Initiative of CHEO

Fraser, K., Olatunji-West, C., Wolfgang, J. (2019). Interventions for Attachment and Traumatic Stress Issues in Young  Children. Counselling Today: A Publication of the American Counselling Association. https://ct.counseling.org/2019/04/interventions-for-attachment-and-traumatic-stress-issues-in-young-children/

GoodTherapy (2019). Therapy for Attachment, Therapist for Attachment. GoodTherapy.org. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/attachment

GoodTherapy (2015). Play Therapy. GoodTherapy.org. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/play-therapy

Hutchinson, L. (2016). Playdough in Play Therapy. PlayDrMom. http://blog.playdrhutch.com/2012/06/12/play-dough-in-play-therapy/

Morin, A. (2020). Attachment Disorder Overview. Verywellmind.com. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-attachment-disorder-4580038

OCATT. (2021). Ottawa Centre for Trauma Therapy. https://ottawacatt.com/

Ottawa Centre for Resilience. (2016). Attachment Therapy. OCR. https://ocfr.ca/specializations/attachment-therapy/

Parenting in Ottawa. (2021). Attachment. Parenting in Ottawa. Ottawa Public Health. https://www.parentinginottawa.ca/en/babies-and-toddlers/Attachment.aspx 

Pivotal Education. (2020). Tips for Those Parenting a Child With Attachment Disorder. Pivotal Education Insitute. Pivotal Education LTD. Beck House. https://pivotaleducation.com/hidden-trainer-area/training-online-resources/tips-for-those-parenting-a-child-with-attachment-disorder/

Youth.Gov. (2019). The Incredible Years. Youth.Gov https://youth.gov/content/incredible-years

Community Resources

Below are a list of local Community Resources that parents can access that will educate, and prepare parents raising children with any form of Attachment Disorders 

The Ottawa Centre for Attachment and Trauma Therapy is a great resources for parents to access in the Ottawa Community. This agency helps to educate parents through parenting classes, provide parents with additional resources, and prepare them for the future with their child. The Ottawa Centre for Attachment and Trauma Therapy can be accessed by phone at 613-435-2355 or you can visit there Ottawa office at 160 Terence Matthews, Unit 1 of the ground floor. Check out the link below for more information. 

"Ottawa Centre for Attachment & Trauma Therapy exists to offer HOPE to families by equipping them for healthy and loving relationships." (OCATT, 2021)

The Ottawa Centre for Resilience is another great resource that parents can access by phone at 613-714-0662 or in person at their office located at 2197 Riverside Dr., across from Billings Bridge on the corner of Riverside Dr. and Bank St. This agency is designed to help parents understand what attachment is, how it effects the parent and child relationship, and how with the right tools and resources, parents can help their child living with an attachment disorder. 

"Some children adapt by being controlling and demanding, others by being indiscriminately affectionate and submissive, while still others will be distant and withdrawn and avoid human connections. Each of these is a survival response. Children do what they feel they have to get their needs met." (OCFR, 2016)

Parenting Ottawa is an organization that focuses on helping parents to build a loving and trusting relationship between child and parents. Parenting in Ottawa is affiliated with Ottawa Public Health and the Children Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), and provides parents with access to Registered Nurse Practitioners and Counsellors that will work with both the child and parent to ensure that they can develop a healthy relationship between parents and their children. Parenting in Ottawa can be accessed in person at their local Ottawa office at 100 Constellation Drive or by phone at 613-580-6744

"For babies and toddlers, having good mental health helps them feel safe, secure, and cared for. It lets them build their self-esteem. It helps them form good relationship for life as well as learn how to cope with stressful events and solve problems. Secure attachment is the key to your baby's mental health" (ParentinginOttawa, 2021)

Online Resources For Attachment Disorder

Below is a list of Online Resources that parents can access that will provide them with help when managing children with an Attachment Disorder

Need Help? I invite you to visit the Attachment Trauma Network available through the link below:

Attachment Trauma Network

The Attachment Trauma Network helps parents to realize that they are not alone. This web resource helps to provide parents with new tools and techniques to use with their children and they also teach parents to remember to breathe, and that this too shall pass.

"ATN is here to support you, help you find the resources in your area, and to connect you with other parents traveling this journey. Remember, you are not alone!" (Attachment Trauma Network. N.D.)

(Twinkl.es, 2021)

Another online resource that parents can use and access is the HelpGuide.org. This website focuses on informing parents about the different forms of Attachment Disorders, what can cause the attachment disorder, and what the different forms of treatment that are available for both the children and parents. Visit the HelpGuide.org today for more information.

(HelpGuide, 2021)

"It’s common to feel frustration, anxiety, and even anger when faced with a crying baby—especially if your baby wails for hours on end. In these situations, you need to remain calm and centered so you’ll be better able to figure out what’s going on with your child and how best to soothe their cries." (HelpGuide., 2021)

Pivotal Education Behavioural Specialist provides parents with lots of tips and education regarding Attachment Disorders. This helpful website provides parents with new information and reminders that it is ok to take time for themselves, and that self-care for the parents will help them to teach their children what self-care is and how important it is in our daily lives. 

(Twinkl.es, 2021)

"Take care of yourself
Children suffering from attachment disorder are already experiencing high levels of stress, so it is imperative that you keep stress to a minimum. It is important therefore to manage your own stress levels before attempting to help them with theirs. Make time for yourself to ensure you get enough rest, eat well and reduce sources of stress." (Pivotal Education. 2021) 

The Child Mind website is filled with education and information for parents who have children that have been diagnosed or are showing signs and symptoms of an Attachment Disorder. Childmind.org helps to break down the different forms of Attachment Disorders and how parents can rebuild the nurturing bond between parents and children. Check out the ChildMind.org for more information.

(Sprouts Schools, 2021)

"A child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) has been subject to neglect or abuse and fails to establish the expected bond with his primary caregivers, resulting in irritability, sadness, fearfulness and difficulty interacting with adults or peers. This guide will help parents understand how to spot reactive attachment disorder, and how it's diagnosed and treated." (Child Mind Institute, 2021)

EMentalHealth is a website designed to connect parents to different resources within their community or online. Parents are introduced to support networks and support groups that other parents are apart of so, they can share their story and struggles that they have encountered while raising a child with an Attachment Disorder. Visit the EMentalHealth.ca website for more information and get connected to organizations and resources to help you today.

(Sprouts Schools, 2021)

 

Worksheets/Tools/Resources Used To Manage Attachment Disorders

Below you will find printable worksheets, tools, and resources that Child and Youth Care Practitioners use to help children with Attachment Disorders

The Stop Light System:

The Stop Light System is a great tool to help children to figure out what activities and events make them happy, what are some of their stressors (Yellow), what their limits are, and how children can learn new coping skills to help them get from 10 (Red) back down to a comfortable number such as 2 (Green)

Behaviour Light Printout

Playdough Play!

Another great tool that parents can use when working with children who have some form of attachment disorder. Working with Playdough allows for open-ended play that can help build a child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Children can participate in child-centered/non-directive play or in directive play therapy where they can build a playdough version of how they perceive themselves.  

Playdough Play Tips and Tricks

Using Your Senses to Slow Down & Calm Down:

Below is an activity sheet that is designed to help a child to slow down and calm down by teaching breathing techniques, then taking a moment to take in their environment by listing items that they can see, feel, hear, and smell, using the 5 senses to decompress and calm down during stressful situations.

Grounding Techniques for Adolescents

 

Common Interventions for Attachment Disorder Continued...

Parent and Caregiver Training Programs That Help Attachment Disorders

Another common intervention that parents and caregivers can use to treat children with attachment disorders are parent training programs such as

• Parent-Children Interaction Therapy
• Behaviour Management Therapy
• Incredible Years Program

Behaviour Management Training (BMT):

BMT is a psychotherapy treatment program that is designed to help parents and caregivers learn psychoeducation regarding a child's misbehaviour, teach parenting skills that are used to develop and boost compliance, decrease disruptive behaviours, and develop overall better behaviours at school with home based reward systems. (Buckne, J. &., 2008)

Common Interventions To Help Parents Manage Children With Attachment Disorders

This section will help provide parents and caregivers with training programs that will help them manage attachment disorders within children

Psychotherapy and Psychoeducation:

One of the most common intervention that parents can use when handling a child with an attachment disorder is psychotherapy, which teaches parents how to learn what a healthy relationship looks like, and how to create a healthy relationship with healthy boundaries with their children.

Next is Play Therapy:

Play is considered to be extremely beneficial for a child's development, as it helps to further develop a child's problem solving skills, cognitive skills, and their memory ability. Play has been proven to help children that have experienced some form of stressful, and/or traumatic events in their lives.

Children who have experienced some form of trauma will store those memories in their nonverbal area of their brain - the hippocampus - and through physical, symbolic, and role-playing activities, it will help move these events to the child's frontal lobes - the area of the brain that help a person communicate, and process behaviours and life events. 

"The therapist may also incorporate the use of tools and techniques such as clay, therapeutic storytelling, music, dance and movement, drama/role-play, and creating visualization." (GoodTherapy, 2015) 

 

Types of Attachment Disorders

"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders recognizes two distinct attachment disorders: Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder." (Morin, A., 2020)

Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder

• This is one of two Attachment Disorders, which can happen when a child does not receive the nurturing and affection from their primary caregivers, which a child needs to flourish and further develop their social and emotional skills. Children with Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) tend to feel a similar attachment to strangers as they do towards their parents or primary caregivers. Some of the signs and symptoms of DESD may include the following

• No fear of adult strangers when meeting new people for the first time

• Behaviours that is overly friendly or talkative to strangers

• Hugging or cuddling unknown adults

• No hesitation around strangers, even when departing with unfamiliar person

• Does not look to parents or primary caregivers for permission to approach strangers (Psychology Today, 2019)

Reactive Attachment Disorder

• Reactive Attachment Disorder, also known as RAD, can be caused by a lack of emotional and secure attachment to a child's parents and primary caregivers, due to early trauma, unstable living conditions, abuse and neglect. 

• Children who are diagnosed with RAD are unable to form secure emotional connections with others, they will have difficulty claiming down during stressful and anxious situations, may be withdrawn, may appear upset, sad, or scared when interacting with their parents and caregivers, and do not turn to their primary caregivers for support and comfort. "Moods fluctuate erratically, and children may seem to live in a fight, flight, or freeze mode." (Eliis et al., 2021) Treatment for RAD will vary from child to child but may include: counselling, working with the child, parents, and primary caregivers through family therapy that focuses on rebuilding or establishing a strong, secure, and healthy relationship and interactions. Many parents and primary caregivers may also benefit from partaking in parenting classes educating them on how to build these healthy relationships with the child, and social skills that they can teach the child on how to interact with other children their age. (Cleveland Clinic, 2018) 

What is Attachment Disorder?

Attachment Disorder is considered to be a mental illness that can develop in the early years of children, who struggle to make emotional bonds with others. The signs and symptoms of Attachment Disorder are typically noticeable by the time children reach their first birthday.

Most children develop a secure and healthy attachment to their caregivers within their infancy years. However, some children, are unable to develop this bond with their parents and primary caregivers because their caregiver is not providing adequate emotional, love, and support to the child(ren).

Attachment Disorders can cause many complications for children in their later childhood, adolescents, and adulthood such as:

• Delays in developmental milestones
• Delays in physical growth (which can be linked to eating difficulties)
• Emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, and anger management issues
• Drug and Alcohol abuse and dependency
• Trouble in School (learning and/or behavioural)
• Problems in relationships (with peers, adults, and romantic partners)

Welcome! This Blog will help parents to understand attachment disorder

This blog will provide parents with information about Attachment Disorder in children, how it affects children, the causes and treatment for Attachment Disorder, and common interventions for the disorder. This blog will also provide parents with worksheets, tools, resources to use, a list of online resources, and a list of community resources and services. This blog is intended to educate parents about Attachment Disorder