Attachment Trauma: What is AT?

Attachment Trauma:
What is AT?
What is it like to live with AT?
How do you represent a student with AT?

Lenore Boyarin, Esq., will host a panel discussion addressing all three aspects of life with a child with Attachment Trauma. Lynne Lyon, MSW, LCSW, will discuss the definition of AT, which is often seen in post-institutional adoptees, but also other children who failed to attach to the expected primary caregiver. Melissa Sadin, a former school administrator and fierce advocate for understanding AT, will describe living with and advocating for a student with AT. Ms. Boyarin will round out the discussion with a brief overview of the law, and how to creatively get the District to say yes, when the staff planned to say no.

Lynne Lyon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and adoptive mom who has been an attachment advocate and educator since 1999. She is the founder of the Attach-China/International Parent’s Network (www.attach-china.org), a web site and on-line support group for parents whose internationally and domestically adopted children suffer from attachment impairment, trauma, and the effects of institutionalization.
After receiving her Master’s degree in Social Work Widener University in 2004, she completed the Certification Program in Adoption at Rutgers University School of Social Work.
She maintains a private practice at the Center for Attachment & Trauma Therapy in the Lawrenceville/Princeton area, specializing in working with adoptive families whose children ROAR – who are Rageful, Oppositional, Anxious and Reactive. In other words, children who are struggling with attachment and trauma issues.

Melissa Sadin is a life long educator. Professionally she has served as a special education teacher in all grades 2-12, and has been an elementary school building administrator for 10 years. She holds two masters degrees and is currently working on a doctoral degree in special education.
She also works as a special education consultant helping parents secure appropriate programs for their children with special needs. She is on the Board of Directors of the Attachment Trauma Network, the director of ATN’s Trauma Sensitive Schools Initiative, and on the Board of Directors for Middle Earth serving high-risk children in Somerset County.

She is also currently the Vice President of the Somerville Board of Education and a State Delegate of New Jersey School Boards. She is a contributing author of the Attachment Trauma Network Blog and has published articles on children with attachment trauma in the public schools.
She also provides professional development on the needs of children of trauma to parents, teachers, and administrators. In addition, she has presented at national conferences on adoption regarding IDEA vs. 504
and the specific learning needs of children with developmental trauma.

When: Wed., May 4th at 6:30 PM
Where: Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler
1249 South River Road, Suite 104 • Cranbury, NJ 08512
Call 609-409-3500 for more information or Click Here to register.