The Attachment Yardstick
by: Melissa Sadin Typically, our children’s lives are measured by events such as birthdays, grades in school, graduation, etc. Recently, however, it occurred to me that there are other events by which I measure my son’s growth. Oh sure, I’m proud of him when he does well in sports, gets a good grade in school, […]
Tuesday Toolbox: Calm Down Box
by: Allison Cooke Douglas We’ve used a “Calm Down Box” with our child for years. It’s full of tools they can use when they are beginning to escalate. This is a specific child’s box, so it’s tailored to his specific sensory needs; yours would not look exactly the same. We offer it to him as […]
Why I Always Renew My ATN Membership
by: Julie Beem Ok – this is a strange topic for the Executive Director to blog about. Yes, I’m biased. But here’s the deal…I pay my annual Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) membership dues each year because I know what an impact my dues make. In the beginning, my membership was all about me. I […]
On Safari . . . at Home
by: Gari Lister Earlier this month I was lucky enough to be able to go on safari in South Africa. The most important component of our visit was two “game drives” each day – essentially several hours riding around the preserve looking for animals in a specially equipped land rover. And if you are a […]
A Niche for Every Child
by: Craig Peterson All children need a special activity in their lives – something to call their own. And especially those who’ve experienced trauma. Many of these opportunities happen through school. For some it’s team sports. For others it might be music or theater. In the case of my son Andrew, he found his niche […]
What Now? My Child is Struggling at School
by: Craig Peterson Looking back to my elementary school years, I was lucky. Learning came easy. Fast forward 30 years. My children were struggling at school. When a flyer came home about a school workshop, I jumped at the chance to gain additional knowledge. Several weeks later I encountered a roomful of overwhelmed mothers. Within […]
The Curse of the Missing Homework
by: Craig Peterson In elementary school my two attachment-challenged sons whipped through their assignments in class. They rarely had homework. Since both made excellent grades, I never gave the situation a second thought. All that quickly changed by middle school. As the missing work mounted, their grades plummeted. With seven teachers during the day, they […]
Perseverance & Endurance – Qualities of a Champion Runner … and His Adoptive Dad
by: Julie Beem If you read one story about adoption today – this is the one. Your social media feed may be full of news about attachment & trauma, Fetal Alcohol, and PTSD, but don’t miss this article. I can tell you now this article’s not going to be what you expect. But then again, […]
NATA Day 2015 – We Need Your Help!
We NEED your help. Every year, millions of children suffer from early childhood trauma and develop Attachment Trauma, also known as complex trauma. ATN and many other organizations involved with traumatized children and their families have designated June 19th as National Attachment Trauma Awareness Day. And this June, we are asking YOU – and EVERYONE […]
“Don’t You DARE Say That”
By: Deborah A. Novo I love my dog. She is an 11 year old, white Schnauzer who exudes such love. My husband and I had just returned from our usual, evening walk with Sadie. We were standing in the kitchen, laughing and drinking iced tea when a storm came upon us. “Why don’t you pick […]