Tuesday Toolbox – Giving Your Child a Sensory Diet at Home

by:  Jane Samuel Like many children from hard places our daughter was diagnosed with sensory issues. As I began to get a grasp on her sensory needs and avoidances and attended OT sessions I kept a running list of what helped her and what would be a good tool to use at home. This Tuesday […]

The Other “B” Word

by:  Craig Peterson  Before anyone’s imagination runs wild, I’m not talking about that “B” word but the other one we know all too well. “Birth families.” For nearly all of us who’ve adopted – whether domestically or internationally, our children will bombard us with questions about their birth families. Probably sooner than later. Maybe they […]

Ghost Ship

by:  Deborah A. Novo I hear you speaking and sense no depth. I hear you repeatedly lying, while looking me dead in the eye, and see you so broken. Lying is your normal and truth is the enemy. It has become more comfortable to control your life by sustaining lies rather than tell the truth. […]

Toolbox Tuesday – Meet WALTER

by:  Julie Beem Even after therapeutically parenting for at least 100 years (ok, more like 17), I still love to get a new tool. This tool came to me over the weekend while I was listening in on a Nancy Thomas seminar. Little did I know that I’d have the opportunity to use it within […]

Do You Believe?

ATN

by: Gari Lister Have you read the Attachment & Trauma Network‘s belief statement?  I hadn’t until I went to the board retreat in January, and since then it has inspired me on a daily basis.  It reminds me why ATN is important — why we need to fight for traumatized children and their families — […]

The Amygdala – Stopping Flight or Fight at its Source

by:  Craig Peterson What on earth is the amygdala? Most people have no idea. Even less can say it correctly. Let’s start with the pronunciation. Amygdala contains four syllables with the accent on the second one. Just remember to say “ah” three times. ah-MIG-dah-lah Now that I’ve made you look silly, let’s move onto the […]

Does it Work for Me?

by:  Gari Lister Parenting an adult child with reactive attachment disorder — especially a young adult — can be challenging, to say the least.  My oldest is 23, and we have been through a LOT with her since she became a “legal” adult.  We have faced questions like: do we press charges, do we give […]

Tuesday Toolbox — Mama’s Room and Mama’s Bed

by:  Gari Lister Yesterday’s Good Morning America featured a story on co-sleeping based on controversy a blogger sparked when she admitted to sharing a bed with her six year old son.  The piece opened with a clip of a little girl whining that she was scared and wanted to sleep with mommy — and the […]

ADHD versus Anxiety

by:  Craig Peterson A recent article about the misdiagnosing ADHD in children with early trauma has been making the rounds. Before everyone jumps on the bandwagon, let’s remember that many mental health issues are at play. Not all children are the same. Each needs to be carefully diagnosed. For traumatized children who haven’t begun to […]

In Honor of Gregory C. Keck, PhD

We at the Attachment & Trauma Network were devastated this weekend to hear of the death of Gregory C. Keck, PhD, the founder of  the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, and a leader in the treatment of early trauma.  We plan to honor Dr. Keck with several memorial posts this week.  Our thoughts and […]