X-Post and maybe OT: Adoption & attachment disorders

[freeindeed]

Could attachment disorders suddenly be an issue after a child has been home for two years? Especially when the child showed no problems in this area previously? Asking here, too, because said child also has special needs.

[Pen]

Probably.

 

There was a really good Yahoo group related to attachment disorders, RAD, trying to avoid post adoption disruptions, etc. I do not recall the name of it. If you search and find more than one, I might recognize it. Anyway lots of people incredibly knowlegeable about that area were in it along with newbies.

[Ottakee]

I would say not likely pure attachment issues but you could have trauma issues (these come up over and over again as the child goes through different developmental stages) or you could be dealing with many other issues that go along with/mimic attachment issues---mental health issues, fetal alcohol, drug exposure, etc.

[Pen]

I would say not likely pure attachment issues but you could have trauma issues (these come up over and over again as the child goes through different developmental stages) or you could be dealing with many other issues that go along with/mimic attachment issues---mental health issues, fetal alcohol, drug exposure, etc.

 

 

I agree totally that you could be dealing with issues that mimic or go along with attachment disorders. But the converse is also supposed to be true: attachment disorders can mimic other issues, or so I have been told, such as developmental delay (I was told that exact one, and my recollection was that your daughter apparently had that).

 

I think for RAD the most extreme form of attachment disorder, the DSM(?number?), but I think a recent version, gives the onset age as being up to age 5... I don't recall, but I don't think it gave an onset as limited to ____ length of time post adoption. (Which is odd really bec. I know people who have dealt with this sort of problem and did not even adopt until after the child was 5 years old).

 

I would think if the child became aware of being different or of being adopted at some time after the adoption that could also lead to a delay, but that is just a personal hunch.

[LMV]

Could attachment disorders suddenly be an issue after a child has been home for two years? Especially when the child showed no problems in this area previously? Asking here, too, because said child also has special needs.

 

The short answer is, yes, attachment issues can come out a year or two into the relationship. Often there is a "honeymoon phase" and from all we've read this can be extensive. I think it is also important to consider that grief issues and trauma issues often present and represent as children pass through different life situations and stages. These can all intersect as well.

 

Best wishes.

[freeindeed]

It seems like dd4 suffers from extreme separation anxiety. She cries and hits her head when dh and I are out of her sight. She is visually impaired and has developmental delays, and may also be on the autism spectrum. So, due to these different factors, it is so difficult to pinpoint which one is causing her issues, or if it's a combination of all of them. We are working with a neurologist, a pediatrician, a vision therapist, and a pediatric opthalmologist, so hopefully we will have more answers soon.

[LMV]

It seems like dd4 suffers from extreme separation anxiety. She cries and hits her head when dh and I are out of her sight. She is visually impaired and has developmental delays, and may also be on the autism spectrum. So, due to these different factors, it is so difficult to pinpoint which one is causing her issues, or if it's a combination of all of them. We are working with a neurologist, a pediatrician, a vision therapist, and a pediatric opthalmologist, so hopefully we will have more answers soon.

 

Hopefully you will. We've found that uncertainty makes everything so much more difficult. If she is delayed [and the visual impairment may contribute and confound here as well] globally then the separation anxiety may be peaking later than you may be expecting if you are recalling what happened with your neurotypical children. Again, best wishes. :grouphug: