In this foundational episode of Regulated & Relational, Ginger and Julie dive deep into attachment disorders—what they are, how they’re diagnosed, and the realities families face when raising children with these challenges.

From the history of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) to the proposed Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD), Ginger and Julie unpack decades of evolving research, personal experience, and practical tools for caregivers and professionals. They also address the hallmark behaviors—like manipulation, triangulation, lack of empathy—and explore why these behaviors occur, and how to respond in ways that promote healing and connection.

This conversation is both honest and hopeful—acknowledging the challenges while sharing effective therapeutic parenting strategies, the importance of pacing and dosing nurture, and the long-term potential for growth and change.

• The history and evolution of attachment disorder diagnoses in the DSM
  

• How RAD and DSED differ—and why splitting the diagnosis has caused confusion
  

• Prevalence rates and why research has been limited
  

• How attachment disorders can be mistaken for, or co-exist with, autism
  

• The why behind hallmark behaviors:
  

• Manipulation and control
  

• Triangulation between adults
  

• Lack of cause-and-effect thinking
  

• Low empathy
  

• Therapeutic parenting strategies, including:
  

• Offering limited, safe choices
  

• Making implicit care explicit
  

• Pacing and dosing nurture to build trust
  

• Reducing chaos and avoiding power struggles
  

• Why Developmental Trauma Disorder matters—and how it may fill gaps in our understanding of trauma’s impact on children
  

• Hopeful outcomes and the critical importance of early intervention and ongoing support
  

• Attachment & Trauma Network: www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org
  

• National Institute of Health prevalence statistics (2023)

• Reactive Attachment Disorder - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537155/ (Published: May 1, 2023)

• Introduction to children's attachment - NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK356196/ 

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537155/#:~:text=Epidemiology,Adolescent%20Well%2DBeing%2C%20No.
  

• Research on RAD subtypes: Dr. Charles Zeanah (2004)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4342270/

• ACEs Study: CDC ACEs Resources