Helen Keller Reactive Attachment Disorder

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880 as a perfectly normal and healthy child. But when she was a year and a half old, she suddenly became both blind and deaf due to what many speculate was scarlet fever or meningitis (“Helen…”, 2016). Because of this, two of her main senses were shut down at a stage in which communication and relationships is very important for children and their development. These losses, for obvious reasons, proved to be very detrimental to her ability to connect with people and her ability to express her emotions. She soon became what many would describe as wild and unruly, since she would often thrash, scream, and eat like an animal to get attention and go through the process of catharsis. But one specific

In inhibited RAD, children are more likely to resist comfort or affection, remain detached from their emotions, and to withdraw from others. Symptoms of disinhibited RAD are lack of caring or concern for the self, lack of emotional response, and disinterest in who they surround themselves with (Wood, 2005). Generally though, children with reactive attachment disorder are often more hostile, argumentative, indifferent about pain (others or their own), impulsive, and resistant to signs of love or affection. This disorder is most effectively and frequently treated through the attempted repair of the relationship between the child and the caregiver, often through the use of

But most of the time, counseling and therapy are the primary methods of healing since RAD is a disorder regarding relationships. By consulting a counselor or therapist, the child is being opened up to the possibility of trusting and forming a relationship with another being. Human interaction is seen as one of the best possible treatments. Medications are only used in extreme cases to help with things such as anger management or sleeping issues (Bhandari, 2016). Overall, with enough relationship development and therapy, it is possible for a person to be cured, just like Helen Keller was, once she developed trust in a relationship with Anne. But no matter what, they will never completely forget what it was like living with