Adoption

Adoption refers to the legal arrangement of placing a child, along with all the legal and caregiving responsibilities, with a parent or parents other than those to whom the child was born. Adoption can be conducted through foster care, an adoption agency, or privately through an individual placement using an adoption attorney. Adoption can either be open, with information communicated between biological and adoptive parents and with the opportunity for contact between the biological parents and adopted child, or closed, with a prohibition on the exchange of any identifying information.

Most often children who have been adopted, or who have spent some portion of their early years in an orphanage or in foster care, are considered to be at greater risk for relational dysfunction because of the disruption in the early attachment system. A secure attachment relationship to at least one loving, consistent caregiver is crucial for the healthy social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of a child, although that relationship need not solely be with a birth parent. The early years are a key developmental window, and adoptive families and their children may benefit from psychological and practical guidance from a licensed professional to support a healthy attachment to the adoptive parent or parents and to ensure the well-being of all during the adoption transition.

See also:
Attachment
Mindful Parenting Groups
Reflective Parenting Workshops
Relational Support Services

For further reading:
www.quantumparenting.com
www.tiesforadoption.ucla.edu

[Back to A-Z]