My friend Tim said, “This week with my daughter has been like living in a firestorm. She keeps creating sparks and embers for me to run and put out.” I can picture that! It is how we live when we have a child with RAD. As parents of these challenging children we are continually putting […]

Written by Nancy Thomas My stomach turned! Once again a gentle loving family had been misguided and hurt for years by an adoption worker telling them that RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) was rare and not to worry. When they called and described deeply concerning symptoms she told them it was “a period of adjustment” and […]

My puppy knew before I did one summer day at Healing Hearts Camp. Families desperate for help sat on the cool grass on the hill to watch a demonstration. Elan B-lined for one extremely angry, violent girl and parked herself up against her. The look my dog gave me was intense, as if to say, […]

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Yesterday I got a piercing hate look from a big, 15 year old boy that I am working with. It was a portal to cold, dark, evil. It was a long look as he walked by and drilled it into me. It is still echoing in my […]

Time Does Not Heal. My great grandson, Lincoln, is here! It is so awesome to see what an attached toddler does. So many families I have worked with thought their child would grow out of the behaviors. They waited! They call me when their child is 9 years old or older and they are exhausted, […]

         As the holiday season approaches, my phone lines and emails are lit up like Christmas trees. Wild eyed mom’s stop me in parking lots. Parents of children with RAD and Attachment Disorder are screaming for help from the roof tops across the world as the season of giving and love begins. […]

Three Steps to Get Them to Care. “I’m sorry” is so often a lie with children afflicted with RAD. They have little to no conscience so there is no feeling behind it. Often the words are delivered with a shoulder shrug and an eye roll! How do we get them to care? The first thing […]

Written by Nancy Thomas She raised her hand and challenged me, ” You mean when my friend and I go out on weekends to run over cats, there’s something wrong with that?” “Yes.” I replied. One after another six students tried to argue with me that the torturing and killing of animals they had been […]

Written by Nancy Thomas. When are Pets a Good Idea? I am not just horsing around or barking up the wrong tree here, animals make a difference in our lives. We have had lots of pets over the years. Currently, my puppy, Elan, fills my heart with her unconditional love and joy. Getting greeted like […]

Master Manipulator. The principal and the school secretary were digging through the school dumpster! They had already sorted through the entire row of cafeteria trash barrels. My child pitifully sniffled nearby observing the slime covered searchers. After a good hour of watching the show, my brilliant cunning son became bored with his game, reached into […]