What the report covers

The assignment asks for causes of reactive attachment disorder and for how it differs from autism. This page is educational. It does not diagnose any child, and it does not treat every withdrawn toddler as a case of either condition.

A common error is to use 'attachment' as a synonym for every social difficulty. Official manuals keep RAD and autism in different families of diagnosis.

RAD and the history of care

In DSM-5-TR and ICD-11, reactive attachment disorder is tied to extreme insufficient care. The child rarely seeks or responds to comfort from caregivers, in a way that is not better explained by developmental delay alone. The history is part of the definition, not an optional note.

Support, when a clinical team is involved, starts with a safe, stable caregiving relationship. If a clinical source does not state a therapy sequence or a recovery percentage, leave those fields blank.

Where autism is a different question

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. It can be present from early development in families that have provided ordinary or excellent care. Restricted interests, repetitive behavior, and a distinctive social-communication profile are the core, not a documented failure of caregiving.

Overlap in surface behavior — limited eye contact, delayed language, seeming aloof — is why a history, and often a multidisciplinary assessment, matters. Theory of mind can be discussed as one research idea; it does not settle the differential by itself.

How to write the assignment

Make a two-column comparison: history of care, social style, restricted and repetitive behavior, and what would change the working hypothesis. Cite the current manual, not a film, and say clearly that only a qualified clinician closes the question.

Sources

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). DSM-5-TR(reactive attachment disorder; autism spectrum disorder).
2. World Health Organization. ICD-11(reactive attachment disorder; autism spectrum disorder).
3. Zeanah, C. H., & Gleason, M. M. (2015). Annual research review: Attachment disorders in early childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 207–222.

Last updated: November 13, 2026