This is all about worries of unwanted law enforcement intervention when a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) has raging and violent tantrums which may requires physical restraint for the safety of everyone.
Our sweet RADish, healing as she is, still has fits of tantrum and rage. She is known to kick and scream, just as a three year old might. She can become violent and require restraint for her safety and ours.
We live in fear that a concerned neighbor, hearing the tumult, might call the local police and that the police will pay us a visit. That is a visit that we do not want! What to do?
We now have an effective three-part solution which you might consider.
- Letter from therapist. Our therapist has written a letter which we will always have in our possession in the event something comes up. The most essential part of the letter says that our daughter has been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder and sometimes rages and becomes violent. When this happens, for her safety and the safety of those around her she must be restrained.
- Communicate with local law enforcement. We will meet with local law enforcement to let them know about our daughter’s diagnosis and what we have to do to care for her. In almost all cases local police understand these situations and will do their best to be supportive and helpful, particularly if they receive a call from a neighbor about noise coming from our house. We will provide them with a copy of the letter from our therapist.
- Talk to neighbors. Some of our neighbors know a little about our situation so they do not become alarmed if they hear our daughter carrying on. Not all do, however, so we will let them know what the situation is. We will, of course, give them as little information as possible, only what we feel that they absolutely have to have for our peace of mind.
If you haven’t taken these steps, I highly recommend it. As soon as we discussed the problem with our therapist, she helped us make this plan and immediately I felt great relief.
Do you have a raging RADish? Have you taken similar steps? How has that helped you (or not)? If you haven’t, what do you think about trying these three steps? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Any comments or thoughts you have are always welcome.
If you want to sharpen your ability to parent your challenging child, I can help. Please go here for information about the Advanced Parent coaching services I provide.
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