What is Reactive Attachment Disorder, Disinhibited Type?

Understanding Reactive Attachment Disorder: Disinhibited Type

Reactive attachment disorder is a rare condition occurring in children. Commonly known as RAD, it hinders a child’s ability to form emotional bonds with their parents or primary caregivers. Children with a history of neglect and a lack of emotional support often develop the symptoms of RAD. There are mainly 2 types of this disorder - inhibited and disinhibited. Read on to dive deeper into it.

Understanding Inhibited vs Disinhibited RAD

Understanding the difference between inhibited and disinhibited RAD is crucial to understanding the signs and symptoms in your child. Here is a tabular representation of the same:

As we can see, disinhibited and inhibited RAD differ in how children show signs of neglect or abuse. Let us learn more about disinhibited reactive attachment disorder in the following section.

Key Features of Disinhibited RAD

Children with disinhibited RAD have distinct features. They are as follows:

• Familiarity With Unknown People  : If your child shows an overly familiar physical or verbal attitude towards strangers, they may suffer from RAD. They may also unknowingly cross social boundaries and seek physical closeness with unfamiliar individuals.
• Indiscriminate Sociability : Children with RAD may not display the usual caution or reticence towards unfamiliar individuals like children normally do. They may willingly leave with strangers without checking back on their parents.
• Impaired Social or Emotional Regulation : Affected children usually have problems distinguishing appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in social settings. This can lead towards a lack of healthy social relationships.

Symptoms of Disinhibited Type RAD

Unfortunately, there is a lack of proper research into reactive attachment disorder. Therefore, experts are unsure of its symptoms and signs beyond early infancy. Here are the common signs and symptoms:

• Seeking attention from anyone
• Making selective relationships
• Failure to react to comfort
• Displaying inappropriate behaviour for their age
• Failing to seek comfort from parents
• Often appear superficially cheerful or unafraidaround caregivers

Role of Abuse and Neglect on RAD

Current research on reactive attachment disorder suggests that children who feel abandoned, neglected or abused are at a greater risk of developing RAD. Children form a healthy attachment to their parents when their needs are consistently met and they develop trust.

However, when the basic needs are not fulfilled, they may deviate from normal emotional and physical growth.

Treatment for Disinhibited Reactive Attachment Disorder

Even though the disorder may sound distressing, Disinhibited RAD is a treatable disease. However, the period of treatment can be for a long time. To treat RAD in children, doctors prescribe therapy for both the parents and the child.

Some common ways include:

• Family Therapy: Psychologists and therapists often recommend attachment-based family therapy to strengthen and foster trust between the child and family members.
• Parent Education and Support: Experts also work with primary caregivers to educate them on effective parenting skills, understanding the child’s needs and developing consistent routines for the child.
• Social Skills Training: In this therapy, experts teach how to interact effectively with other children without crossing social boundaries.

Disinhibited Reactive Attachment Disorder can significantly affect a child's social and emotional development, but with early diagnosis and consistent support, recovery is possible. Through therapy, education, and caregiver involvement, children can form healthy attachments and improve their behaviour. Understanding the signs and causes of RAD is the first step toward helping affected children lead stable and emotionally fulfilling lives.