Facilitating Developmental Attachment: The Road to Emotional Recovery and Behavioral Change in Foster and Adopted Children (Paperback)

by Daniel A. Hughes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...innovative therapist and teacher, Dan Hughes takes the reader through a primer in attachment theory and reactive attachment disorders." -- (Paul D. Goodman, 2000)

"..deeply insightful...provides a comprehensive understanding of the issues and of the types of interventions that succeed in resolving them." -- (Martha G. Welch, Countless New Insights from an Experienced, Gifted, and Innovative Therapist, 2000)

Product Description
"This book shows how to work successfully with emotional and behavioral problems rooted in deficient early attachments. In particular, it addresses the emotional difficulties of many of the foster and adopted children living in our country who are unable t"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson (June 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765702703
• ISBN-13: 978-0765702708
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,674 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and helpful, April 14, 1998

By	Colleen M. McDonald (Rockford, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facilitating Developmental Attachment: The Road to Emotional Recovery and Behavioral Change in Foster and Adopted Children (Hardcover)

I would highly recommend this book to other foster parents. It thoroughly describes therapeutic techniques, both for use in the therapist's office and in the home, and explains why and how they work. It emphasizes the hard work of treating and parenting the child with attachment problems and offers hope.

I also want to offer a couple of criticisms: 1) There is too much jargon in the introductory chapters explaining theory; it may discourage some readers, but the book does get easier to understand. 2) The author deals only with success stories. I'm sure his methods have not succeeded with all his clients, and even a short description of "failures" would have provided balance. It would have been helpful if he'd listed his criteria for accepting clients-- what are the behavioral, personality, and/or family characteristics that suggest someone is likely to benefit, and on what basis does he refer clients elsewhere? 3) I wish he'd included something about the politics of getting therapeutic help for foster and adoptive kids. Sounds like many of his clients are longterm, and treatment can't be cheap; I'm wondering how families afford his services. A plug for the importance of adoption subsidies and true treatment foster care would have been a bonus.

Colleen M. McDonald

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facilitating Developmental Attachment, April 15, 2000

By A Customer

I have 3 adopted children with attachment problems. I've read many, many books on this subject. Hughes' book, though written primarily for therapists, has been the most helpful to me as a parent. Hughes does a great job of describing unattached children and the treatment therapists and parents need to provide to help children bond. Parents considering adopting older children need to read this book. I wish I'd had this book 10 years ago. The mistakes we could have avoided might have given our children a much better chance at a normal life. I also wish Hughes would include information about strategies for dealing with unattached young children who have become unattached teens.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, must read., June 14, 2004

By	P. Bojsen "theboysen" (Holland, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though this book is written for therapists, it is extremely helpful for parents as well. I am the mother of a child with RAD who is being treated according to Hughes' therapy methods, and the child is responding positively after only a few months. She was with a traditional therapist for over a year and her pathology only got worse. Hughes emphasis in therapy is parental attunement with the child. This is key to attachment.

I would bet that the reviewers who have called his techniques "unethical," and "pseudoscience" do not have children with RAD. Holding therapy is not torture, it is therapeutic. Torture is living a life with no attachments to other human beings.

Read this book for understanding, and be sure to find an attachment therapist to work with, hopefully one recommended by other parents with RAD children. You will need professional guidance - it's not a DIY project.