Neediness: An Unintended Consequence of Shame
–by Janyne A. McConnaughey, Ph.D. originally published June 21, 2017 on Janyne’s blog I stood in the doorway. I was very small, maybe two. I was sucking on my two middle fingers and watching my mother in the kitchen. I was forbidden from entering. Then I did the unthinkable. I stepped over the imaginary line and […]
The Fine Art of Consequences – Part II
–by Julie Beem In my last post, I wrote about a mom in search of an appropriate consequence for her daughter’s misbehavior at school. I suggested that an at-home consequence (taking away Wednesday night church activities) for an in-school behavior might not be the best approach, in part because children with brains affected by trauma […]
The Fine Art of Consequences – Part I
–By Julie Beem A mother called me a while back. “What consequence can I give her?” she started, “She just won’t behave at school and the teacher keeps sending home notes. The only thing I can think of, the only thing she seems to enjoy is going to our church’s Wednesday night events. If I […]
Why Jeannie Can’t Tell Time
Staring at the analog clock in my therapist’s office, I wondered which hand was the big hand and struggled with my need not to go over my time.
“I can’t read the clock,” I said. It was awkward because I was 62, but I really wasn’t.
Nutrition
Many parents report their children finding relief and their behaviors improving if nutritional changes are made or vitamins and supplements are added to the child’s daily regime. Some have used protocols usually prescribed for children with autism, ADHD or other neurological disabilities. Child Diagnostics/Dianne Craft is a website that describes the use of nutrition and supplements […]
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT)
This approach to therapy of maltreated children is being developed by Dr. Bruce Perry, a leading expert in early childhood trauma. Dr. Perry and the staff at Child Trauma Academy in Texas have created a “developmentally sensitive, neurobiologically informed approach to clinical work.” This approach is based on what Dr. Perry knows about brain development, which includes […]
TF- CBT
Coming Soon
The 10 Most Common Myths about Attachment & Trauma
There is so much that society doesn’t understand about attachment and trauma. People don’t “get it” when it comes to how a child can be traumatized, how a child reacts to trauma, and how difficult it is to help a child heal from early childhood trauma. The importance of forming healthy attachments and what can impede attachment […]
Medication
There is NO medication specifically for RAD, attachment difficulties or trauma. However, ATN does not discourage the use of medications. Many families have found that medications help to treat symptoms and lessen anxiety, intrusive thoughts and behaviors in such a way that the child is better able to benefit from therapies and other interventions. Parents should seek […]
Neuro-Based Approaches
One of the fastest-evolving areas of promising interventions for traumatized/attachment-disordered children in the area of neuroscience approaches. These approaches are based on the premise of brain plasticity; that is, the research that shows the brain is able to continue growing, changing and developing throughout a person’s life. These approaches target the brain’s chemical, electrical and structural by […]