[guatmom4113]

and NO help. Has anyone tried medicine for their RAD kid? If so, please share your experience. My dd is 12.

[lucyjoy]

medication won't help the RAD but it can sometimes help with some of the symtoms that can coexist with it such as anxiety or rage behavior.

Are the therapist qualified to treat rad? Regular therapy does not help these kids.

At 12, your child has to have some investment in her healing for it to work-she has to want it. It's hard when they don't.

You might want to check out Welcome to Attachment & Trauma Network* - ATN for more support or to locate other therapists.

[MSC2471]

Having the right therapy and psychiatry team is important in treating individuals with RAD. Both of my daughters took a good 6-12 months before making any headway with a therapist. Trust and understanding have to occur, plus a willingness to change from your child.

Both of my RAD daughters are on Abilify, which seems to be a great stablizer when they rage. Medication is only a small part of the solution though- be sure to have a good support network of friends and family, teachers, therapists, etc. as the more you know, the more together you will grow.

In my part of Massachusetts we have a great counseling center for adoptive children called Children's Friend. We've been lucky enough to use their services for 4 years for my oldest daughter and 2 years for my youngest, and they are the best. We've also gone through attachment therapy with our youngest daughter through the Attachment Institute, and made slow improvements there.

Good luck and keep us posted for the future.

Matt

My Radical Family!

[marythemom]

My daughter came to us at age 11 with "attachment issues." The first therapist (talk therapist) could not get her to open up. The second therapist was an attachment therapist and after 1 1/2 years we're seeing a difference.

Our son came to us at age 13. The second therapist can get him to talk, but it's a talk therapist and we haven't seen any attachment progress. The therapist at the RTC was completely useless. The problem for our now almost 15 year old son is that most attachment therapists consider him to be too old. He openly acknowledges that he has major trust issues. He's got so many other diagnoses and issues though that it would take multiple therapists years to get through it all. Luckily some of his other diagnoses have been identified and treated so he has made some progress.

Both my kids take a pharmacy worth of medications. It really does help with some of the symptoms of RAD (impulsivity, rages/ mood stabilizers).

[stevenstwin]

Originally Posted by marythemom

The problem for our now almost 15 year old son is that most attachment therapists consider him to be too old.

That's very sad. We had a good attachment therapist for our son at 15. Progress is slower and success has to be looked at differently, but it is NEVER too late!