Occupational Therapy and the Adopted Child

Megan Bresnahan, OTR/LUniversity of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital

What is the International Adoption Clinic?

• Pre-adoption review• Post-adoption visit• Ongoing support

Trends• Changes are seen in the countries

that we see children from• More restrictions• Hague Adoption Convention

Trends• Support for institutions• Nutrition• Access to medical care• Substance use/abuse• Foster care vs institutional care• Foods• Promotion of adoptions within country

China• Mostly orphanage care and some

models moving more to a foster care model

• 2005: 7903• 2011: 2587

Russia• Orphanage Care• 2004: 5862• 2011: 962

Ethiopia• Increased scrutiny• Orphanage care• 2004: 284• 2010: 2511• 2011: 1732

Guatemala• US is not currently processing

adoptions from Guatemala• 2007: 4726

India• Orphanage care• 2004: 406• 2011: 226

South Korea• Foster Care• Some orphanage care for older

children and children with special needs

• 2004: 1713• 2011: 736

Columbia• Typically orphanage care• 2006: 344• 2011: 216

Haiti• Orphanage care• 2004: 355• 2009: 330• 2011: 33

Marshall Islands• Relatively new• Child is typically with birth family

until adoption• 2009: 22• 2010: 19

Factors Affecting Development

• Genetic Background• Pre-natal care• Birth History• Age at time of Adoption• Country of origin• Cultural Issues• Living environment prior to adoption: foster home vs.

institution including orphanage or hospital vs. time with birth family

• Length of time in orphanage care and number of placements/transitions

Factors Affecting Development cont.

• Quality of care in institution (caregiver to child ratio, etc.)• Malnutrition• Eating and Sleep Disturbances• Abuse (physical, sexual or emotional)• Trauma• Medical/health problems• Lack of developmental stimulation• Language delays• Sensory deprivation• Attachment disorders• Separation and loss issues• Substance Exposure

Startling Numbers• A general guideline is that for

each 3 months in an institution a child will lose approximately 1 month of development

Other factors to consider• Families adopting more than one

child at a time• Parents with limited parenting

experience

Speech and Language Considerations

• Model language; avoid correcting as it may inhibit the child from trying to speak

• Avoid television• Many behaviors associated with attachment

disorders and ADHD are also seen in children who are just learning English or who have speech and language delays

• Children learn conversational English first, after several years language skills for academic learning

• Encourage imaginary play

Cognitive and Learning Considerations

• Lack of early stimulation may have long term effects on learning

• Memory problems may be present• Initially, consider placing a child in

developmentally appropriate setting rather than age appropriate

Social, Emotional and Attachments Disorder Considerations

• Children need to adjust to their new family and all of the changes that they are experiencing

• Initially, the primary caregivers should be the main people to provide for the child’s basic needs

• Maximize the amount of time that the parents are with the child

• Consistency and routines are helpful• Minimize the number of settings that the child is in• Children may functional at higher levels in other

areas of development than in emotional development

Interventions • School based therapy services• Medically based therapy services• Psychology• Neuropsych testing• Other specialists• When to start?

Attachment in OT• Utilize routine and structure in the

session• Family Involvement• Parent permission• Indiscriminate friendliness• “High Fives”

Henry

Sensory Processing Concerns

• Sensory deprivation, lack of sensory experiences may have effects on sensory system

• This may cause the child to have a difficult time processing sensory input in a new environment

Sensory Deprivation• If a child lived in an institution, she or

he may have missed sensory experience• The child may not have been held,

rocked, talked to or sung to• In a crowded orphanage, a small child

might spend large portions of the day in a crib with little to do and not placed in a variety of positions

• There may have been little chance to feel different textures, see different sights, hear different sounds or taste a variety of foods

Sensory Deprivation• A child may not have been played with

or given the chance to run, jump, climb or play with toys

• All of these activities provide sensory information to the brain, which interprets and organizes it

• Without exposure to these activities, the brain does not learn how to appropriately use the information

• Then when a child has new sensory experience, he or she may be over- or under-sensitive to the experience

Treatment• Very individual for each child

Research• 2005 study at the U of MN studied

222 kids from Eastern Europe; 12% with full or partial FASD

• New FASD study• Growth Endocrine Study• Nutrition and International

Adoption Study

Organizations working to improve Orphan care

• SPOON foundation (http://spoonfoundation.org)

• Half The Sky (www.halfthesky.org)• Orphans at Play (www.OAP.com)• Mission to Promote Adoption in Korea (

www.mpak.com)• The Red Thread Promise• Worldwide Orphans Foundation

(www.wwo.org)

Case Study: Nick

Case Study: Jesse and Maya