Babies and children who are adopted sometimes experience symptoms of Radical Attachment Disorder (RAD). This is a mental and emotional condition that occurs during the first three year of life. The child does not attach, bond or trust his/her biological mother due to neglect or abuse. When a relationship is not built, the child won't thrive psychologically. This lack of bonding will flavor the rest of the child's life if no intervention is sought.
Symptoms may include the following:
Superficially engaging or charming
Lack of eye contact
Developmental delays
Destructive to self
Repulsed by affection or indiscriminately affectionate with strangers
Unable to cry when hurt
Sneaky or bossy personality
Abnormal speech patterns
Engage in hoarding or hiding food
Obvious lying
Stealing
Cruelty to animals
Impulsive behavior
Lacks cause and effect thinking
Poor peer relationships
Manipulative
Learning difficulties or disorders
Preoccupation with fire or fire-setting
Attracted to blood, gore and violence
There may also be coexisting diagnoses of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Bipolar Disorder, Mood Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
There are psychologists that specialize in RAD. If an older child has been adopted, they should immediately be seen for an evaluation. If the parents have the tools to help, there is a chance for the child to overcome this disorder. If a baby has been adopted from a mother with drug and alcohol issues, when the child enters preschool, an evaluation would be wise.
It's a tragedy if the parents are unaware of RAD, and as a result, the child suffers as well as the whole family. There is help. There is hope!