Problems with Adoption

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) was first introduced just over 20 years ago, with the publication of DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). In the DSM-IV. The disorder is defined by aberrant social behavior that appears in early childhood and is evident cross contextually(1994). The disorder describes aberrant social behaviors in young children that are believed to derive from being reared in caregiving environments lacking species-typical nurturance and stimulation, such as in instances such as maltreatment or institutional rearing. (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010) . In cases of RAD two major types of abnormalities have been cited; these include an emotionally withdrawn/inhibited type and an indiscriminately social/disinhibited pattern (First, M., & Tasman, A. 2010).Conditions in in foreign orphanages and institutions such as, multiple caregivers, maltreatment, abuse, neglect, and others contribute to the inability for internationally adopted children to form secure attachments. All of these factors contribute to internationally adopted children being at a higher risk to develop attachment disorders such as RAD and other behavioral problems.

Foster care has a major impact on children and adolescents. There are several areas of a child’s life that is affected by being placed in foster care. When children and adolescent enter into foster care due to abuse or neglect their world can change for better or for worse. A child’s experience before entering foster care predetermines their behavior(s) that will occur while in foster care. Often time’s children have to deal with these life changing events due to a mistake that their parent/guardian made or a lifestyle that their parent/guardian has chosen. In particular, several foster children and adolescent have attachment issues upon entering care (Kelly & Simon, 2014). This topic is concerning because it can help identify the issues that occur when children and adolescents enter into care and help front line service workers assist their families in a more appropriate manner in order to decrease the issues that are due to attachment. The outcome for every child is different, but understanding that attachment disorders is the problem and possible ways to deal with it can assist in making a positive social change in the foster care world.

In The Road to Evergreen by Rachael Stryker is an interesting eye catching ethnography that emphasizes on the psychiatric disorder on adopted children called RAD, also known as reactive attachment disorder. Reactive attachment disorder “Describes children who are considered to be unable or unwilling to bond with parental (most often mother) figures” (Stryker 3). The reason why these particular children are unable to form a bond with their primary family is because in their past relationships formed with their birth parents, if any, have been either neglected or abused in both a physical and or mental way. So, in the end, the child is left with RAD and their new adopted families are the ones who have to get help for them in hope for a noticeable

As implied by many physiologist a child’s attachments style is the building blocks to his or her mental development. A child like a structure is sure to crumble if there is a crack in their foundation. Foster children have the potential to stand tall or crumble due to neglect. Attachment styles tend to vary in foster children since they bounce from home to home. In this paper I will discuss the attachment styles foster children share with both their biological and foster parents, as well as the foster child’s potential outcome due to these styles. In order for children to develop

Although the study is thorough in describing findings among those who are adopted from institutions, specifically orphanages, the study falls short of describing attachment patterns with children who are adopted at birth and had no experience with institutions. Therefore, I do not believe that the study conducted by Marcovitch et al. (1997) describes attachment among all adopted children, but it does describe how children who spend a considerable amount of of their first year of life in orphanages are more likely to have issues later in life since attachment theorist believe that attachment or lack thereof can affect cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). In fact, the outcomes of children who spend a majority of their early years in an institutional setting can be attributed to the “lack of an attachment figure” (Marcovitch et al., 1997, pp. 19).

The infants were observed over a period of a year in their homes. The results of the study proved that infants were not most attached to the person who fed them, nor to the person who spent most time with them. They were most attached to the person who was most responsive and interacted

Although secure attachment during infancy is the foundation for continued healthy positive development during the lifespan, it is important to understand that other factors can have a significant effect on development later in life (i.e. illness, loss, and trauma). However, research has shown the importance of consistent care giving that is responsive and nurturing and the caregivers’ ability to effectively accommodate more difficult temperament characteristics ,as well as other factors, influence the development of healthy attachment{{64 Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian 2003}}. Research has also shown that infancy and early childhood is the period of development where scaffolding begins and continues (Vygotsky, 1978; Zhao & Orey,1999).

A mother’s ability to attune, regulate, and respond to an infant has considerable developmental and interpersonal consequences (Bowlby 1988; Shapiro 2012). Repeated proximity-seeking behaviors with primary caregivers lay the foundation for individual strategies that assist in the regulation of emotions and the ability to form intimate bonds (Marmarosh & Tasca, 2013). One’s experiences early on in life create the foundation from which we form our perceptions of self and others, and are associated with the development of neural pathways in the brain that control responses to stress (Marmarosh & Tasca, 2013), and influence future relationships and attachments in adulthood (Snyder, Shapiro, & Treleaven, 2012).

Thousands of couples all over the U.S are unable to start their own family. Many of these couples are desperate to have children of there own, and long to be able to have a family. In some instances, adoption may be an option for these couples. Adoption is the legal responsibility and care of a child that is not one’s by birth. (Source F) In the United Sates, there are several factors that go into the process of adopting a child. Factors such as the extreme cost, the complex of the process, and the variation of adoption laws, in all different states. To make this process easier, I propose the government intervenes and regulates adoption, makes the process simpler, and sets a minimum standard of adoption laws for states.

Approximately one hundred and twenty thousand adoption cases take place each year. Adoption is the practice where the rights of biological parent(s) to the child are transferred to foster parent(s) permanently. Adoption of a child usually would take place at a tender age of the child’s life, so the child wouldn’t know of ever being adopted. Although this depends on if the child’s foster parents reveals to them the information of them being adopted. Usually a biological parent putting their child in foster care or up for adoption is all in good reason. Some of them could be; the parent(s) at the time of conception and birth weren’t ready financially to take care of

Empirical literature has suggested that adopted children are at increased risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems. Research with clinical populations has shown an over-representation of adopted children and adolescents in clinical populations. However, the extent of the over-representation has varied widely. While adopted children have been estimated to make up roughly 2% of the population (Hersov, 1990; Zill,

Bowlby argues that the need for physical nurture in infancy and adolescence is a primary need, not a secondary one. We can see this played out in nature as well – even animals inherently seek out their mothers as babies. When a child’s needs for attachment are neglected, physical symptoms can be seen. For example, infants living in orphanages post WWII were provided with adequate food, water, and shelter for survival. However, due to the lack of nurture (swaddling, being held, talked to, etc.) infants became weak, prone to sickness, and some even came to the brink of death. Therefore, we can see that this physical nurturing attachment is crucial to the health and development of an infant. In slightly older children, when abandonment occurs, they protest with crying, go into a stage of mourning, and then detachment can be seen in the social setting. They are unwilling to establish relationships with others, including their own parents should they reenter the picture. Lack of attachment to a caregiver also affects cognitive development. Attachment to a caregiver is crucial in the development of problem solving skills and the development of a conscience. Without the ability to process and solve problems, and a lack of moral compass, it’s obvious that criminal behavior would start to manifest (Fitton, 2012).

As an infant the first thing you come to learn is the love of your parents. Infants respond to this overwhelming affection and are able to quickly grasp the concept of love along with reciprocating these emotions back towards other. This level of intimacy is what guides infants and children while they are beginning to develop. Unfortunately, without this aspect of a healthy environment, adolescents can begin to fall behind emotionally, mentally, and socially. Lacking these dimensions of wellness as a developing child can be quite detrimental and can in turn lead to forms of isolation. Continuous forms of neglect in this manner can fully impair these aspects of normality in arising adults.

This type of attachment is relatively uncommon, found in only 10% of children (Golde, 2014). High levels of distress upon separation often signify that the bond between an adult and infant is lacking in certain areas. The mother is seen by the social worker to be failing to respond to the toddler’s needs; resulting in the toddler becoming highly distressed. Through this view, it is evident that the social worker had good reason to question the toddler’s attachment with his mother. However, there are several other factors outside of the mother’s control that could be influencing the toddler’s development that needs to be considered.

Facilitating Developmental Attachment: The Road to Emotional Recovery and Behavioral Change in Foster and Adopted Children by Daniel A Hughes