Carousel Project LLC

10 Things People Say About Reactive Attachment Disorder That Aren't True (and Hurt Families) Reactive attachment disorder isn't usually what it seems to the outside world. And the assumptions around it hurt kids and families.

Just finished the chapter one summary of my dissertation to go to the internal review board (IRB). Options to participate in this important research will be coming soon. Stay tuned.

Summary

Millions of traumatized children worldwide need healthy family systems. When adverse childhood experiences compact their life with developmental trauma factors, unorganized attachment relationships, and mental health disparities inducing body responses through polyvagal reactions, The fight, flight, and freeze mechanisms become hyperactive. These hyperactive reactions send lightning bolts of danger onto the environment and relationships in their sphere of interaction.

The problem that arises from this population is the need for alternate family placement into a world system that is ill-prepared to handle the scope of challenges that accompany this child. The new family units are subjected to electrifying behaviors with danger lurking around every corner. “Felt Safety” is the goal to produce healing and allow a strong family to emerge.

The purpose of this research is to identify the scope of trauma that foster and adoptive families are exposed to. Describing trauma and the effects that influence brain development, understanding the foster/adopted child, and exploring the recruitment, training, and post-placement supports will be highlighted to evaluate the potential of foster displacement or adoption disruption. Acknowledging areas of resource/adoptive parent personal trauma potential from the child's trauma exposure will hopefully secure methods of care to prevent the family's downfall.