In this episode, presented at the Siskiyou County Office of Education Symposium in Weed, California, Ce gives a quick, brain-based “why” behind Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), better described as Complex Developmental Trauma, and how it plays out in real-life classroom dynamics. Teachers will want to listen to this.
Children who have experienced early trauma don’t walk into the classroom with a clean slate—they carry the invisible weight of broken trust, disrupted attachment, and survival-mode nervous systems. When those early experiences hardwire the brain for protection rather than connection, the resulting behaviors can look defiant, manipulative, oppositional… or just plain exhausting to manage.
Check out the companion blog here -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/reactive-attachment-challenges-in-the-classroom