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Adoption

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Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

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Abstract

Adoption has become a socially accepted means by which a family grows, whether by choice, or where biological and psychosocial constraints prevent the process from occurring within the narrow context of the family’s autonomous resources. The popularity of adoption is best reflected in its relation to live births, with the numbers in the Scandinavian countries and the USA approaching 1.1 and 3, respectively, per 100 live births. Falling fertility rates, as well as greater acceptance of children raised in more varied family settings, e.g., by single and older parents, single-gender couple living arrangements, have contributed to this trend. Many adopted children are considered to be “at risk” for both medical and developmental impairments, due to the adverse health status of the biological mother during the pregnancy, as well as their exposure to early environmental and emotional deprivation. To remedy these potential deficits, the adoptive family is encouraged to seek pre-adoption counseling and preparation, as well as access supportive services after the adoption in order to facilitate comprehensive medical screening and care, as well as optimize preventive and remedial efforts to minimize developmental and emotional–behavioral disabilities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Gary Diamond

  2. Institute of Child Development and Neurology, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Clalit Health Services, 49202, Petah-Tiqva, Israel

    Gary Diamond & Yehuda Senecky MD

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Rose F Kennedy Center, Center for the Valuation and Rehabilitation of Children, Bronx, NY, USA

    Gary Diamond

Authors
  1. Gary Diamond
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  2. Yehuda Senecky MD
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Correspondence to Gary Diamond .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, Michigan State University, Oakland Drive 1000, Kalamazoo, 49008, Michigan, USA

    Dilip R. Patel

  2. Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, Michigan State University, Oakland Drive 1000, Kalamazoo,, 49008, Michigan, USA

    Donald E. Greydanus

  3. Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40506, Kentucky, USA

    Hatim A. Omar

  4. , Division for Mental Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Se, PO Box 1260, Jerusalem, 91012, Israel

    Joav Merrick

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Diamond, G., Senecky, Y. (2011). Adoption. In: Patel, D., Greydanus, D., Omar, H., Merrick, J. (eds) Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0627-9_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0627-9_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

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  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0627-9

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