Facts about Reactive Attachment Disorder
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Emotional withdrawal and minimal facial expressions characterize Reactive Attachment Disorder, with affected children showing decreased response to caregivers' bids for interaction during infancy.
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Oral motor deficits, including difficulty with feeding and swallowing coordination, appear in infants with Reactive Attachment Disorder due to prolonged deprivation of responsive caregiving interactions.
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Brain imaging studies reveal that children with Reactive Attachment Disorder demonstrate reduced amygdala volume compared to typically developing peers, suggesting structural neural differences underlying emotional processing deficits.
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Maltreated infants with Reactive Attachment Disorder display significantly slower growth trajectories, with studies showing average height and weight deficits persisting even after placement in nurturing environments.
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Longitudinal studies demonstrate that early intervention programs combining parent-child psychotherapy with attachment-focused treatment can significantly improve outcomes for children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder before age 8.
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Indiscriminate sociability, where children approach unfamiliar adults without hesitation or fear, serves as a hallmark behavioral indicator of Reactive Attachment Disorder distinct from other attachment disorders.
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Approximately 40 percent of children in foster care meet criteria for Reactive Attachment Disorder, reflecting the strong link between early institutional or neglectful care and attachment pathology.
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The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Reactive Attachment Disorder require onset before age 5 and a documented history of grossly inadequate caregiving.
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Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder show significantly reduced cortisol levels, unlike typically developing children who exhibit normal diurnal cortisol variation.