I first expressed my desire to be an adoptive parent at the age of 14; that goal was preceded by my declaration (at age 5) that I intended to be a veterinarian. Happily, I have achieved both goals, although I never would have guessed how unexpectedly those aspirations intertwined. I have learned much about life and people, and developed a variety of skills as a result of the education I have received from both arenas. As students of veterinary medicine, we were expected to absorb voluminous amounts of information and apply it differently to a multitude of different species. Much of my hard-earned knowledge seems unreachable to me now after not practicing for many years, a fact which causes me considerable pain. However, the problem solving skills I developed still serve me well as I continue my unexpected journey with attachment-disordered children. I am often reminded of two sayings I learned while still a veterinary student. The first one was, "If you hear hoofbeats in the woods, think horses, not zebras!" This was a favorite saying of several professors who grew weary of eager veterinary students diagnosing newly studied but rare and exotic diseases while missing the obvious! We were also admonished not to be a practitioner who used the "Aunt Minnie" approach to diagnostics: "My Aunt Minnie had these symptoms and she died of this disease; you have the same symptoms, so you must have the same disease.....!" I still believe in these principles, although I apply them much differently these days. My husband and I had added 3 special needs adoptees to our family before we really understood the ramifications of attachment disorder. Although it is a fact that the agency we used did little to assure that we were prepared for our undertaking, I have friends who did try and explain to me the possibilities that lay ahead. In this case, I really needed to be looking at zebras, but all I could see were horses! Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) usually don't have visible stripes or markings that clearly distinguish them from kids who are more capable of forming attachments. In fact, RAD kids can appear to be incredibly charming, calm, well-adjusted, tame little horses compared to their more normal and exuberant counterparts. Don't get me wrong, I am not actually comparing kids to horses. I am only saying that my propensity to look for the obvious did not serve me well when it came to seeing what was more hidden and evasive. As a result of my family's experience with our troubled children, and the generally unsupportive, unreceptive and unaware response of the community, I have devoted a great deal of time and energy into the dissemination of information about Reactive Attachment Disorder. I have found that many parents are adopting zebras when they think they are getting horses, and many mental health professionals seem to be diagnosing RAD kids using the "Aunt Minnie" theory. Sadly, the DSM-IV (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) gives a very poor description of Reactive Attachment Disorder. RAD kids often present to therapists and counselors as having symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or perhaps merely "depression". Older children may be labeled "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (more a description of certain behaviors than an explanation of their origin), "has Borderline tendencies", or "Bipolar" (often exists concomitantly with RAD). Children with attachment disorder may become adults labeled as Sociopathic, Narcissistic, Antisocial or Borderline. Therapists have expressed the opinion that the description in the DSM-IV mandates that the diagnosis of RAD be made before the child is 5 years old. That is not the case. The DSM-IV states, "The onset of Reactive Attachment Disorder is usually in the first several years of life and, by definition, begins before age 5 years." So what is a parent/veterinarian doing espousing the clinical definition and description of various conduct and behavioral disorders? I am describing the uncertainty, inaccuracy, and inconsistency I have witnessed in the attempts to adequately identify and treat these confused and confusing children. I have spoken to countless parents and mental health professionals who are struggling to determine if they are looking at a horse or a zebra. Just because a child has symptoms like Aunt Minnie, it doesn't mean he or she has Aunt Minnie's disease!! When I was practicing veterinary medicine, I never wanted my clients to think that I always had all the answers. I did want them to know I was very interested in their animal, and I was going to treat their pet as if it belonged to me. If I didn't have the answer, I would do my best to find it. If tough decisions needed to be made, I would do my best to support and counsel them. I always endeavored to present all the options that I knew existed to treat their pet's problem, without any bias on my part as to which I thought was best. Furthermore, the burden was on me to remain up-to-date in my field, abreast of the latest information, and apprised of the newest therapies. The minute I quit learning new information would have been the instant that I ceased to be a quality practitioner. I do not pretend to be qualified to diagnose an individual with Reactive Attachment Disorder. Many have told me that I should return to school and obtain the letters after my name that would enable me to do just that. I doubt I will, for I need no other degrees to be a good therapeutic parent to these children. I do intend to continue to insist that the mental health community and the child placing agencies get up to date with this diagnosis. I also intend to do everything I can to empower parents to demand that the professionals be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Attachment therapists are not insisting that all troubled children are attachment disordered. But if one would only learn the basic principles of attachment and the formation of trust, it would be much easier to understand how a troubled infancy and early childhood irrevocably impacts the future of an individual. Parents, before you adopt, please learn the more subtle differences between a horse and a zebra. Both horses and zebras need the presence of other members of their species; however, the management of each is quite different. Their medical needs are rarely met by the same individual. Equine vets tend the more domesticated form, whereas zoo vets meet the needs of the horse's unique cousin. Certainly, the presence of a zebra in the paddock amidst a herd of horses has the potential to be a disaster. Quite possibly the zebra can be tamed, but it will undoubtedly not be without some damage to the rest of the herd. If you are pursuing those hoofbeats in the woods, think horses and zebras!