You prayed. You loved. You sacrificed. You brought a child into a home — or a classroom, a congregation, a caseload — filled with commitment, compassion, and genuine care. And still, nothing seems to work. If you have ever found yourself at that breaking point, you already know what this session is about.

Reactive Attachment Disorder is not a discipline problem, a spiritual failure, or a reflection of how much someone loves a child. It is a developmental injury — rooted in the earliest relational experiences of a child’s life, long before they entered the care of the adults now trying to reach them. Understanding what RAD actually is, where it comes from, and why it responds the way it does to love and consistency is the first and most essential step toward finding a path forward.

This session, led by Dr. Daniel Sanderson — internationally recognized Clinical Psychologist and creator of the Developmental Vacation® model — offers foster parents, educators, social workers, CASAs, church staff, and ministry leaders a compassionate, clear, and clinically grounded framework for understanding developmental trauma and the children living within it. The session directly addresses the tension at the heart of this conference’s theme: the gap between the world as it is for these children, and the world as it should be — and what it takes for the adults around them to bridge that gap with informed, effective, hope-grounded care.

The Developmental Vacation® model gives every participant in this room — regardless of their role — a shared language, a coherent framework, and practical tools they can use immediately. This session will leave attendees feeling seen in their struggle, equipped in their practice, and genuinely hopeful about what healing can look like.