Broken Spirits ~ Lost Souls: Loving Children with Attachment and Bonding Difficulties

by Jane E. Ryan

Broken Spirits~Lost Souls provides a rare, valuable look at a silent yet potentially deadly problem plaguing families today, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).Children born into crisis or ambivalence are vulnerable to attachment disturbances because the roots of this horrendous disorder occur when basic life enhancing needs of newborns and infants go unnoticed or unmet. Consequently, children who are victims of early neglect or trauma are at grave risk.The candid stories in Broken Spirits~Lost Souls, told by parents of disturbed youngsters, paint a clear picture of their chilling, dangerous behavior. Attachment disorder may be demonstrated by out-of-control children as young as three years old. By their teens, these kids predictably defy authority and challenge every accepted familial and societal norm.At their best, individuals with RAD represent the embryonic stages of an antisocial personality, at their worst they are full-blown psychopaths consumed by the search for another victim. RAD is not a rare phenomenon and is primarily preventable through early identification and by employing simple, sound parenting skills.

444 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

40 pages of introductory material, way too long before getting the actual book started
very scattered - each family's experience was broken into pieces to support various chapters, but simply left me feeling like the entire project was unorganized
there is lots of good information in here, but it is so long, hard to get thru 400 pages of such a tough subject, it might have been more powerful if it was consoldated carefully
i felt it was stronger in explaining what RAD looks like and what it does to families than offering much hope or concrete treatment strategies

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction to the book written by Victor Cline is the best part. I think someone new to adoption or RAD would get more out of it than I did. I found the author's writing unorganized.