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December 26, 2006

The Speak Out!: Healing Traumatized Children

Editor's Note: November’s Speak Out! article "Safety" triggered questions from our readers about the subject, which was living with children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). For December, we are adding a second view.

By Faye Hall, MA

Early trauma from abuse, neglect, and abandonment predisposes children to maladaptive behaviors and distorted beliefs. This damage may be pre-verbal prohibiting access to expressive language and rendering the child helpless to verbally convey emotional distress. Therapists and parents may struggle in formulating successful treatment and effective parenting techniques. Current research in child trauma, child development, and attachment offer viable insights.

Using Maslow’s Hierarchy, Piaget and Erickson's developmental stages, Perry’s child trauma research, and Bowlby’s findings in attachment, we can glean valuable information. Any therapy or parenting modality that does not meet physiological needs jeopardizes the child's sense of safety and does not offer unconditional love from primary caregivers or respect from professionals is counter productive. Learning is experiential and modeled. These children are products of their horrific experiences and detrimental modeling. To remediate the damage children must experience both healthy interactions and appropriate modeling.

Successful therapeutic treatment cannot be accomplished in the isolation of a therapist’s office. The damage was long term and relationship focused. Parents are the child’s vital link in overcoming a past of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. We cannot "fix” the child but assist him in creating healthy relationships within the family system. Advance training is necessary to guide these families in providing the children an opportunity to heal.

We are indebted to the courageous families who are willing to help children heal.

Faye Hall is an advocate working on behalf of children with RAD and their families. Faye began her work from her experiences within her own family, when she found there were very little resources for families like hers. Faye has since acquired an Masters degree and consults on this issue throughout PA. You can find out more about RAD at Faye Hall’s Web site, http://ConnectionResources.com.

We are looking for stories regarding your experience and lessons learned as a parent or caregiver dealing with a child's behavioral health problem, or, as the child living with it. Stories should be under 1,000 words. Those that are approved will be published on our Web site. Contact Wendy Luckenbill with your idea, wluckenbill@mhapa.org, and 866-578-3659.