How Do You Work With A Child With Reactive Attachment Disorder In The Classroom?
Reactive Attachment Disorder is a very serious disorder that generally develops when a child is badly neglected and/or abused early in life. It is most common in foster and adopted children, though it can develop in children from otherwise typical families due to divorce, separation or illness. It develops during the first several years of life (by age 5) and prevents the child from forming normal, secure attachments to people. They lack a secure emotional foundation. They have learned that the world is scary and unsafe, and adults cannot be trusted. They can present a serious challenge to parents and teachers. They can wreak havoc in a classroom with defiant, destructive behavior, bullying, stealing and other behavioral problems. It is very important that these children be treated by a mental-health professional, but there are things that can be done in the classroom to help manage their behavior. Talk to the child’s parents. They may have some useful strategies for managing the child
