Parents of Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder: Experiences of School and Family Communication and Interaction

Raol Taft, Candace Schlein, Crystal Ramsay

Abstract


Effective communications between schools and family members about curricular concerns can positively impact students’ performance across behavioral, academic, and social domains. Moreover, family involvement in schooling may be more important for children with disabilities, especially students with severe emotional and behavioral concerns, such as with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Students with RAD present some of the most challenging behaviors to school personnel. In turn, needs of students with RAD require their families to work together with school staff as equal curriculum decision–makers to promote hopeful outcomes for this group of learners. In this article, we discuss the findings of an investigation into the experiences of parents of children with RAD. We uncover their storied perceptions of encountering a lack of proactive, positive, and useful communications throughout their children’s educational careers.


Keywords


reactive attachment disorder; adoptive parents; foster parents; home-school communication; curricular stakeholders; special education

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References


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