FASD and RAD — “Cannot vs. Will Not”
by: Craig Peterson Early childhood trauma. Complex behaviors. The two often go hand in hand as parents and professionals will attest. Although they create enormous challenges for families, receiving an accurate mental health diagnosis for a child can be another challenge altogether. Connecting the dots isn’t always easy. When adopting my three first children – […]
Changing Rehoming Laws Isn’t the Answer
by: Julie Beem What do the stories of Arkansas Rep. Harris and his wife, Torry Hansen (who returned her son to Russia in 2010), and the families in last year’s Reuters report on rehoming have in common? All were adoptive parents who found they could no longer safely parent their children in their homes. While […]
Tuesday Toolbox — Silliness Builds a Bridge
by: Gari Lister My middle daughter has started to follow in her older sister’s footsteps and taken to hiding in her room. Oh, she’s not literally hiding — she’s “cleaning” it or she’s “reading”. But it takes hours, doesn’t seem to make an enormous difference in the cleanliness of the room or the number of […]
Representative Harris and the “Rehoming” Controversy
Both social media and the press have been peppered with stories about Arkansas State Representative Justin Harris, whose adopted little girl was sadly sexually assaulted by someone the Harris family placed her with after they found themselves unable to handle the challenges of parenting her. Many of the news stories have vilified Representative Harris — […]
The Trauma Van
by: Craig Peterson I chose to laugh, not cry. My minivan looks like a wreck. But the two of us could never part ways. We’ve shared too much history together. In 2001 with two new sons in tow, my family of seven needed more space. So while the rain came down in sheets, I negotiated […]
The Tide
by: Melissa Sadin The Tide “The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells on the shore. The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains. For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.” That was a poem that was on a wooden wall hanging in my childhood home. I had occasion to recall […]
Does This “In Your Face” Video Help Children with RAD?
by: Julie Beem While the “dress color” controversy and video of two escaped llamas is going viral with the general public, this video is definitely making the rounds on Facebook and in the blogsphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ypmGTGGN7A Whenever ATN finds something that can be useful to parents of traumatized children and to those who have RAD and […]
Tuesday Toolbox – I Love You Rituals
by: Gari Lister I think one of the most challenging elements to having multiple children who suffered early trauma is the dance of building both a cohesive family and one-on-one connections with each child. My younger girls no longer have severe attachment issues, but I have found that taking steps to enhance our connection goes […]
Upcoming Conferences and Trainings Coming Your Way
by: Gari Lister As the mom to three kids from trauma backgrounds, I find that my therapeutic toolbox needs frequent updates! My girls are very different, and the techniques that work with one do not always work with the others. There are a number of events scheduled for the spring and summer of 2015 — […]
The Borderline in My Daughter’s Personality – Part 3
This is the final installment in a three-part series that ran earlier this week. The first installment can be found here, and the second here. by: Julie Beem “Borderline feels like I’m going to lose my mind You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline…” Madonna As I read further into this article, I […]