While most adoptions succeed, challenges and difficulties face some adopted children. These post adoption issues receive attention through family, medical and therapeutic interventions. In spite of the challenges, however, Dr. Dana Johnson, Director of the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota, says, "Data collected over the past three decades support adoption as a superior means of promoting normal development in children permanently separated from birth parents. Out of calamity and loss, children recover and progress to become functionally and emotionally competent adults."
Adjustment Issues
Arriving into a new family provides multiple challenges for an adopted child. Questions about what kind of behaviors are acceptable, how the family communicates about differences of opinion and even what time the family eats, need to be learned. Other new-to-the-family concerns include learning the names of all the new relatives, starting school and becoming comfortable with new siblings.
Attachment Issues
All adopted children need to learn to attach to their new parents. For most adopted children, the process occurs quickly. However, for children who did not previously learn to attach to a primary caregiver, the attachment process may be prolonged and difficult. Without the experience of attachment, an adopted child does not trust adults and the result may be behavioral and emotional issues requiring therapy.
School Issues
Post adoption, children move into a new school, follow a new curriculum, meet new teachers and interact with new classmates. Many adopted children slide easily into their new school surroundings but others may feel overwhelmed and disconcerted. Adopting Family Resources reminds parents that, "For an adopted child, assignments and discussions about family of origin, about mother, father, and siblings may be confusing and anxiety producing if the adopted child has not been properly prepared."
Peer Issues
A child may face questions from peers if they suddenly have a new last name, as might occur if a child in foster care is adopted by her foster parents. Alternatively, a child may stumble, after revealing that she was adopted, to answer the question, "Who are your real parents?" Even though adoption is considered a positive situation for parents and child, an adopted child may face ridicule or derision because of her adoption.
Language Issues
For an internationally adopted child, English language acquisition presents challenges. A child adopted from another country begins his time with his adopted family unable to communicate, then communicating with an accent, then, possibly communicating with comprehension gaps or problems. Harriet McCarthy at Post Adoption Information says, "One of the main issues suffered by post-institutionalized children who have been abused, neglected, sensory deprived or developmentally delayed is that it is their speech/language patterns often suffer." Sometimes these language issues resolve themselves easily but for other children, therapy and tutoring may be required.
