Find Salvo

09/04/2026

Salvo wants to help you bring this training into your church community! Send us an email for more info: [email protected]

“Reactive attachment disorder is a serious brain disorder that requires extensive intervention not only for the child, but the entire family of that child. Unfortunately, many clinicians treat RAD in the same way they do attachment issues which often make matters worse.”
— Amy VanTine, CEO of RAD Advocates

Developmental trauma creates real family crisis. Children and families shouldn’t manage it alone.

Competent. High-achieving. Deeply committed parents reach crisis trying to manage a serious childhood mental health disorder — alone.

Children struggle with a brain disorder that goes unrecognized. Siblings experience trauma.

Developmental trauma creates real strain on the entire family system. That’s the reality. The child is struggling. Parents burn out. Families fracture.

But children with developmental trauma and their families shouldn’t have to carry this burden alone.

Communities need to understand this disorder. Professionals need training. Systems need resources. Countries need policy. Children and families need support.

RAD Advocates educates families and professionals about developmental trauma. We provide guidance, advocacy, and community. We need grassroots awareness and policy change — and you can help.

Parents and professionals: share this post.

Help your communities understand developmental trauma. Visit radadvocates.org to learn more and get involved.

Read more: radadvocates.org/post/families-in-crisis-first-support-later-a-costly-pattern-in-reactive-attachment-disorder

08/25/2026

Salvo is here to help parents find the shore.

I found this in a group today, and it stopped me in my tracks.

**“There is something particularly cruel about criticizing the way someone swims while they are drowning.

People who love you don’t critique your survival. They help you find the shore.”**

How many of us have lost people along the way while parenting a child with RAD?

I did.

At one of the lowest points of my life, I lost an important parent figure - and my kids lost a grandparent. The reason given was my “negative parenting.”

And here’s the hard part: I understand what they were seeing.

I wasn’t in a good place. I wasn’t parenting from the place I wanted to parent from. I was overwhelmed, reactive, exhausted and surviving from one crisis to the next.

What I didn’t understand was how far underwater I already was.

Not long afterward, I was diagnosed with PTSD, high blood pressure, severe anxiety and dissociation.

I hadn’t jumped into the deep end one day and suddenly started drowning.

The water rose slowly.

A little more stress.
A little less sleep.
Another crisis.
Another phone call.
Another appointment.
Another explosion.
Another thing broken.
Another plan canceled.
Another night spent wondering what tomorrow was going to bring.

Year after year.

And somewhere along the way, surviving became normal.

That’s the part I wish more people understood about parents raising kids with RAD and other high-needs behaviors. Sometimes we don’t know we’re drowning because we’ve been treading water for so damn long that we think that’s just what living feels like.

I’m incredibly grateful for the people who saw what was happening and didn’t walk away.

The people who said, “Hey, I’m worried about you.”

The people who helped me recognize things weren’t okay without making me feel like I was the problem.

The people who stayed while I figured out how to swim toward shore.

Today, self-care is a huge part of my life - not because I’ve suddenly become one of those people who has mastered bubble baths and inner peace. It’s because I’ve learned what happens when I continually put myself last.

I take space. I close the door. I say no. I protect pieces of my life that have absolutely nothing to do with RAD. I do things that remind me that I’m still a whole person outside of being someone’s mom.

Because I never want to get so far underwater again that I don’t realize I’m drowning.

And if you’re watching a RAD parent struggle right now, maybe before criticizing the way they’re swimming, ask yourself whether what they actually need is someone willing to help them find the shore.

08/13/2026

I advocated the heck out of their diagnosis with teachers and school staff. 504's, IEP's, volunteered at the school (is that even still a thing?). Still, the question marks never went away.

It's not easy, it's exhausting, and nothing was ever smooth sailing BUT it definitely made a difference in many situations that could have been far worse.

Many families are sending their children back into the classroom this month, and while it can be an exciting time, for many families caring for children with reactive attachment disorder, it can be a time of extreme chaos and stress as well.

Read here about effectively communicating the special needs in the classroom that come with a RAD diagnosis and find tools to share directly from our experts.

https://www.radadvocates.org/post/the-best-approach-to-educate-your-child-s-educators-about-reactive-attachment-disorder

Not a member? Join at radadvocates.org/join

08/05/2026

"It was a good night."

That's how one mom described an evening that included disrupted strangers at a dinner theater, constant redirection, and a running commentary on everything that wasn't perfect enough. She took her daughter to see Matilda, a story they both love, and by most measures, it was a mess.

But compared to daily life in their home — cameras in nearly every room, alarms on the doors, locks on bedroom doors and the pantry, counting food because a full fridge in the morning can be empty by afternoon — it really was a good night.

Our newest blog post is written by a parent raising a child with severe developmental trauma and RAD. It's an honest look at what safety and love can look like when a child's nervous system was wired for survival, not connection. It's not asking for sympathy. It's asking for understanding.

If you've ever driven home from an "ordinary" night feeling like it was a miracle, this one's for you.

An honest look at what safety and love can look like when a child's nervous system was wired for survival, not connection. Written by a mom asking for understanding.

08/03/2026

Last night our team was at Denver Zoo for Night of Wonder, an evening created just for foster, adoptive, and kinship families, hosted by the Zoo in partnership with Cobbled Streets.

We were honored to be one of the resource partners on site. Our favorite moments weren't the animals. They were the conversations at our table: a parent pausing between exhibits to ask a question, a kinship grandmother telling us she didn't know support like ours existed.

That's why we show up. Parenting through developmental trauma can feel isolating, even when you're surrounded by other families walking the same road. We want every parent navigating this disorder to know: you're not alone, and Salvo is here for the road ahead.

Thank you, Denver Zoo and Cobbled Streets, for creating a night where these families could just be families and for the space to remind them they're not alone!

07/27/2026

Good parenting and love cannot erase the impact of developmental trauma.

Please read and share so we can all be better equipped to walk alongside these families! 🏹

Many caregivers and families of children with developmental trauma feel isolated and ostracized from their communities for a variety of reasons.

Learn more about their struggles and how you can support the whole family living with the reality of reactive attachment disorder.
https://www.radadvocates.org/post/reactive-attachment-disorder-the-world-might-be-a-better-place-if-we-supported-these-parents

07/27/2026

I've been trying to find the right words ever since our Garden Party for Good last week, and honestly... I'm not sure there are enough.

When I started dreaming about Salvo, I never imagined how many people would come alongside this mission, not just with their generosity, but with their hearts.

To everyone who came, donated, volunteered, prayed, asked questions, shared our story, or simply spent the evening learning why post-adoptive families matter so deeply to us... THANK YOU!

Because of you, we raised nearly $3,000 during our very first fundraising event. That's something worth celebrating! But if I'm honest, what has stayed with me most isn't the total. It's the conversations. The people who stopped to ask, "How can I help?" The hugs. The tears. The willingness to listen and to learn something new. The stories that were shared and the new connections made. The reminder that there are people willing to step into the trenches with families who often feel like they're fighting their hardest battles alone.

As an adoptive mom, I know how life-giving it is to have someone who chooses to walk beside you. That's the heart behind Salvo. We want every struggling post-adoptive family to know that they don't have to carry the weight alone.

Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for believing in the families we serve. And thank you for helping make our very first Garden Party for Good a beautiful beginning.

We're just getting started. 💚🌻

07/13/2026

Look at the comments. This is real and families are suffering!

If you're living with RAD, please connect with RAD Advocates and join their membership for important resources like this!

You seek emergency psychiatric care for your child because you’re in crisis. You’re doing what you’re supposed to do.
Instead of help, you get investigated.

According to the Safe Harbor Advocacy Initiative’s March 2026 policy brief, 59% of families who sought emergency psychiatric care for their child with RAD experienced retaliation. 67% had CPS involvement. 35% were threatened with abandonment charges.

The crisis is real. The retaliation is real. And families deserve better.

This is exactly why we’re hosting Navigating Child Welfare While Parenting a Child with RAD on Monday, July 13 — to help you understand the process, protect your family, and walk into these situations with confidence and preparation.

Not a member? Join at radadvocates.org/join

Already a member? Connect with others in Pathways who understand.

Thank you, .theyre.all.safe for this critical research.

07/10/2026

Attention Colorado Adoptive/Foster/Kinship Families: Register now to attend this incredible evening at the Denver Zoo. We hope to see you there!

✨ The wonder is almost here! ✨

Registration is now open for the 2nd annual Night of Wonder at the Denver Zoo on Sunday, August 2 — an evening created especially for foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

Heads up, we expect this event to fill up quickly! Please register early and only reserve the number of tickets your family truly plans to use so we can share the wonder with as many families as possible.

Know a foster, kinship, or adoptive family who should be there? Please share this with them!

Reserve your free tickets today! https://my.denverzoo.org/69375/76425



Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance The Haven Impact Colorado State Foster Parent Association Be the Source Rise Family Parker Personal Care Homes Raise the Future A Child's Song and The Studio Finally Home Nightlight Christian Adoptions Project 1.27 Find Salvo Elevating Connections

07/09/2026

When the church says, “We must adopt,” they’re right. But there is a second command that has been missing:

“We must stand with those who DO.”

Because what happens when love is not enough?

What happens when trauma rewires a child’s brain to fear connection?
When specialized treatment isn’t covered by insurance or doesn’t exist locally?
When the marriage is falling apart under the weight?
When siblings begin to struggle too?
When the family can no longer be safely under one roof?
Who do they turn to?

The answer should never be “no one.”

Yet for most families… it is.

Continue reading to learn how you and your church can make a real difference by partnering with Salvo.

https://findsalvo.org/churches-a-call-to-action