Are adopted kids prone to developmental problems?

Question

I seen a news show a while back about the developmental problems that were common in children adopted from crappy countries like Romania, etc. They gave these children brain scans and discovered that due to severe neglect and almost no early stimulation, portions of their brains failed to develop and showed almost no activity. The pediatrician said that the child would always have some degree of impairment, even into adulthood, despite the better surroundings of their new environment. I was wondering really if these kids have a decent shot at becoming happy, well adjusted and employed adults. I only ask this because a friend's brother actually had to return an adopted kid back to his group home setting because of severe behaviour problems. The birth Mom was a substance abuser, and the child was born with chemical dependencies :-( Any experience with this????

Answer 1

It's very sad but some children that suffer extreme emotional neglect never recover.Added to the problems of substance abuse in pregnancy,some of these kids never stand a chance.It's something to do with brain development.If a child doesn't receive the right emotional stimulus in the first few months then that part of their brain shuts down.If you adopt a child from these circumstances then you must be prepared for some degree of disability.