I wanted my basis for RAD treatment to come from “real” scientists who taught only about controlled studies.

OK. You Told Me So

If you are one of the core participants on this blog, who scrolls down to contribute in the comments at the end of an article, you know that there is a whole additional aspect of help, support, understanding and information. The people who participate there are incredible. Often you will see someone recommend a therapy or a professional that they feel has helped them and their family in the radical journey of RAD treatment. I always try to find and post a link as I respond to the comment (I almost always respond to comments) so that readers might find the information easier. I have in the past, provided links to professionals that I know nothing about, and even once in a while for ones with whose methods I don’t agree. You see, I don’t view this as MY blog, but as OUR community. I’m just kind of the moderator who starts a discussion among families who are struggling with the same challenges. I want all of those families to have a voice, here, and to be able to share what has helped them. After all, our families and perspectives vary.

I wanted my basis for RAD treatment to come from “real” scientists who taught only about controlled studies.

One of the professionals who is recommended often in the comments of my blog articles is Karyn Purvis, who works out of Texas Christian University. I have to admit that though I have provided some links, I had never studied Karyn’s work. I could tell you that I hadn’t got to it, yet, and you would believe me, but that isn’t quite true. You have heard me talk about my analytical mind and my attempts to reconcile science with religion. (Or is it the other way around?) In truth, I was prejudiced. I have always felt most comfortable with religious universities cranking out theological diplomas and leaving science to the schools that didn’t have an obligation to religious positions or doctrine. I wanted my basis for RAD treatment to come from “real” scientists who taught only about controlled studies. It wasn’t that I was going to leave God completely out of it, but I would decide where to “sprinkle” Him in. Though you might be exasperated with my words, I hope you’re not surprised. The list of my confessions for struggling to improve my faith is lengthy.

I decided that I should attend, if only to be able to form an educated, non-biased opinion of the work on RAD treatment by Dr. Purvis.

Recently a friend of mine invited me to attend a two-day simulcast produced by Show Hope and hosted in my area by Missio Dei, one of the local Evangelical churches, along with the local chapter of Abba Fund, an organization that provides training and grants for adoption. The name of the seminar was Empowered to Connect and content was provided entirely by Dr. Karyn Purvis and her team at Texas Christian University. I am all for churches working in adoption and orphan care, so I was conflicted. Finally I decided that I should attend, if only to be able to form an educated, non-biased opinion of the work on RAD treatment by Dr. Purvis. I felt like I owed that much to the people who participate in this blog community.

Best practices for RAD treatment have evolved to a point where I almost didn’t recognize them.

Before the first break in the seminar, I realized that I was way behind in my comprehension of Reactive Attachment Disorder. The understanding of the challenges that face some of my children has grown by leaps and bounds. Best practices for RAD treatment have evolved to a point where I almost didn’t recognize them. (Don’t worry, Dr. Purvis specifically addressed people like me during the seminar and gave her approval to use the word “evolution,” and not just in talking about treatment theories.) That’s when she won me over. Dr. Purvis, a devout Christian, herself, said that when it came to attachment and “children who come from hard places,” that the Bible, biology, science, and evolution all say the same thing. Then she spent the rest of the seminar backing up that statement.

Yes… this is RAD treatment, but it is so much more.

I was fascinated as Dr. Purvis and other scientists like Amanda Howard at Texas Christian University talked about the brain and how it develops, acts, reacts, forms and changes in great detail. Then I did a silent cheer when so many challenges were rolled up into one. Different people often make comments after my blog articles where they divulge multiple disorders and diagnoses that they struggle to treat in their children. Dr. Purvis didn’t segregate out all of the PTSDs, RADs, FASDs, ODDs, etc. She simply talked about “children from hard places.” Any of these (and many more) disorders could come from the same situations in childhood when the brain didn’t get what it needed during critical developmental stages. The system that has been developed by Dr. Purvis and her team at Texas Christian University over the past decades goes back to retrain and reform brains. (Yes, you heard me correctly.) You see, when brains stop (or never start) sending signals in the way or to the area that a healthy brain does, those pathways either don’t form or cease to exist. But, by going back to the mental ages where children are stuck, and repeatedly doing what should have been done to form brain pathways in the beginning, those electrical highways can often be re-established. Yes… this is RAD treatment, but it is so much more.

As it turns out, RAD treatment isn’t just RAD treatment. In best practices, we use the same treatment to help any children who have suffered trauma.

So much wasted time can be avoided since we don’t need to put our finger on a specific diagnosis. Children from hard places simply have parts of their brain that didn’t develop properly. Whether or not the brains can be completely repaired, they can undergo dramatic improvement. And so my diagnoses can be addressed with the same efforts. As it turns out, RAD treatment isn’t just RAD treatment. In best practices, we should use the same treatment to help any children who have suffered trauma.

I am ready to move beyond and learn more as RAD treatment continues to advance.

While I have always been a real fan of the writings of the late Dr. Gregory C. Keck (and still am) and have recommended his writings often (and still will), I am ready to move beyond and learn more as RAD treatment continues to advance. Newer treatments are less harsh and more effective. I, for one, am happy about both of those facts. While I am sure that there are other professionals who are working on these cutting edge treatments, if you don’t know where to start, let me point you to a place. PLEASE look into the resources developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and her team at Texas Christian University. You will also want a copy of Dr. Purvis’s book, The Connected Child. I’m about two-thirds through it, while highlighting about ten percent of it! I have never recommended a book more strongly than I do this one.

Often, readers receive as much help from other readers in the comments section as they do from the blog article, itself. Please be generous with your thoughts and experiences in the comments section. There are lots of people who need what you have to share. This is your chance to help them.

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