The criteria for a diagnosis of a reactive attachment disorder are very different from the criteria used in assessment or categorization of attachment styles such as insecure or disorganized attachment.Ĭhildren with RAD are presumed to have grossly disturbed internal working models of relationships that may lead to interpersonal and behavioral difficulties in later life. It is differentiated from pervasive developmental disorder or developmental delay and from possibly comorbid conditions such as intellectual disability, all of which can affect attachment behavior. Not all, or even a majority of such experiences, result in the disorder. Such a failure could result from severe early experiences of neglect, abuse, abrupt separation from caregivers between the ages of six months and three years, frequent changes of caregivers, or a lack of caregiver responsiveness to a child's communicative efforts. RAD arises from a failure to form normal attachments to primary caregivers in early childhood.

In the DSM-5, the 'disinhibited form' is considered a separate diagnosis named ' disinhibited attachment disorder'. It can take the form of a persistent failure to initiate or respond to most social interactions in a developmentally appropriate way-known as the 'inhibited form'. RAD is characterized by markedly disturbed and developmentally inappropriate ways of relating socially in most contexts. Reactive attachment disorder ( RAD) is described in clinical literature as a severe and relatively uncommon disorder that can affect children, although these issues do occasionally persist into adulthood. Medical condition Reactive attachment disorder

Rad disorder adoption