Synopses & Reviews
Since 1989, American families have adopted more than 230,000 children from other countries. Many of these children have lived in crowded conditions, sometimes with poor standards of hygiene, inadequate nutrition, and limited numbers of caregivers. Some suffer from endemic infectious diseases.
Upon arrival, practitioners often fail to recognize the unique concerns of this group.
This text provides an overview of the specialized medical and developmental issues that affect internationally adopted children, offering guidelines to the physicians caring for these children and their families before, during, and after adoption. The reader will learn how to advise families prior
to an international adoption, how to perform an effective initial screening assessment of the newly arrived child, and how to recognize and manage developmental and other more long-term problems as they emerge.
Review
"I strongly recommend this book to adoptive parents, adoption agencies, physicians, and anyone interested in the health and well-being of children adopted from other other countries." --
Adoptive Families"In an ambitious effort, Laurie Miller, one of the pioneers of international adoption medicine, takes on a wide range of challenges for international adoptees. The book's content provides sufficient depth and detail for the health care provider and practical advice for adoptive parents...Of all the sections, perhaps the most useful is the last, which addresses attachment, learning, and cultural and identity issues...The book is an excellent resource for adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and health care professionals. It fills a gap in the literature and is a welcome and much-needed resource."--New England Journal of Medicine
"This is an indispensable resource for physicians who provide care to these children and an important and fascinating read for all child advocates." --Doody's
Synopsis
Since 1989, American families have adopted more than 230,000 children from other countries. Many of these children have lived in crowded conditions, sometimes with poor standards of hygiene, inadequate nutrition, and limited numbers of caregivers. Some suffer from endemic infectious diseases. Upon arrival, practitioners often fail to recognize the unique concerns of this group.
This text provides an overview of the specialized medical and developmental issues that affect internationally adopted children, offering guidelines to the physicians caring for these children and their families before, during, and after adoption. The reader will learn how to advise families prior to an international adoption, how to perform an effective initial screening assessment of the newly arrived child, and how to recognize and manage developmental and other more long-term problems as they emerge.
Table of Contents
1. International Adoption Medicine
Part I Before the Adoption
2. The Effects of Institutionalization on Children
3. Special Regional Consideration
4. Pre-Adoption Counseling and Evaluating the Referral
Part II Prenatal Exposures
5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
6. Prenatal Drug Exposure
7. Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Smoking
8. Effects of Stress in Early Life
Part III Travel and Transition
9. Travel and Transition to the Adoptive Family
Part IV Growth and Development
10. Malnutrition and Undernutrition
11. Micronutrient Deficiencies
12. Microcephaly and Early Brain Injury
13. Developmental Delay
Part V Infectious Diseases
14. Tuberculosis
15. Hepatitis B
16. Hepatitis C
17. Intestinal Parasites and Other Enteric Infections
18. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
19. Syphilis
20. Heliocobacter Pylori
21. Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
22. Unusual and other Infectious Diseases
Part VI Other Medical Conditions
23. Inherited Disorders of Erythrocytes
24. Lead and Other Evrionmental Toxins
25. Rickets
26. Uncertain Age
27. Precocious Puberty
28. Lactose Intolerance
Part VII Neurocognitive and Behavioral Issues
29. Attachment
30. Behavioral and Mental Disorders
31. Language
32. School Issues
33. Sensory Integration Disorder
34. Culture and Identity
35. After Adoption: Unspoken Problems
36. Resources