Reactive Attachment Disorder Research Paper

Parents also have to be aware of problems post adoption. Children are often asking many questions, such as “ Why did you chose to adopt me”, or “ Did my birth parents not love me?”. The role of an adoptive parent is rewarding, however it can be difficult. Children also often wonder why their parents left them. Being exposed to substances in the womb, such as alcohol and drugs, no structure in family environment, inadequate nutrition, and placement at an older age can all put a child at risk for these problems. One risk parents face when adopting a child from an orphanage is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Those with RAD are not able to give up or receive love. They are unable to gain the ability to form relationships, conscience, as well as accept responsibility for their actions. Until today, many parents of adopted kids believed that only children that were adopted when they were toddlers or older would have a risk for developing reactive attachment disorder. They also assumed that children under one year of age would overcome the lack of care once they were adopted into a loving, caring family. However, many parents are finding out that children who attached appropriately as infants begin to exhibit symptoms

Children are defiant, and tend to get angry about small things. Sometimes, children with RAD are known as the “velcro child”. They are not willing to be apart from their mother at all, even for short periods of time, and cry continually when parted from their mother, because they want their mother 's attention, so their behaviors include whining, clinging, or talking excessively to gain attention, not being able to play alone, insisting that the mom will play with them all the time. More behaviors that parents of ordinary attached children would find troublesome is the dislike of being held or kissed, refusing eye contact, and wiggling when mom tries to hold