Educational Outcomes of Children Adopted From Eastern Europe, Now Ages 8-12.

Educational Outcomes of Children Adopted From Eastern Europe, Now Ages 8-12 --Tirella, Chan, & Miller

Longitudinal data on the cognitive and physical outcomes of children adopted from Eastern Europe by American families is limited. In the late 1980s, much was made of the conditions of the orphanages and institutions for infants and toddlers in Romania. While there is clear evidence that many children adopted from such settings in Eastern European countries are more at risk for medical concerns and developmental delay, research that follows these children into their elementary school experience is lacking. As noted in recent research (Groza & Ryan, 2002; Rutter, English, & Romanian Adoptees Study Team, 1998), the learning difficulties and emotional concerns of this group of children present issues for families and schools.

The current descriptive study focused on children and their families from three adoption-related organizations: an international adoption clinic, a private neuropsychological practice, and an adoption agency. The children selected for the study were between the ages of 8 and 12 and were adopted from the following Eastern European countries: Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, Latvia, and Belarus. The 32 percent return rate for the survey included 81 children, of whom 33 were males and 48 were females. The survey included 61 questions on background information of the child and adoptive parents, medical and disabilities information on the child, types of post-adoption services and supports, and experiences that the family had with their adoptive child's school.

The survey results indicated that adoptive children ranged in age from I to 8 at the time of their adoption. The mean length of time that the child had lived with his or her adoptive family was 4.5 years (SD = 2 years). Data revealed that 29 percent of the children were below grade level and 52 percent of the children had been diagnosed with language disorders or delays in such areas as expressive language, receptive language, abstract reasoning, and auditory processing. Consequently, 49 percent of the children had individualized education plans that included speech and language services. Of the sample, 36 percent of the children were diagnosed with learning disabilities, including delays in mathematics, reading, written language, and visual perception. Sensory integration dysfunction and fine motor delay services were provided to 32 percent of the children. ADHD was diagnosed for 38 percent of the sample, while other children had been diagnosed with anxiety (19 percent), depression (19 percent), reactive attachment disorder (16 percent), post-traumatic stress disorder (32 percent), motor coordination disorder (7 percent), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (5 percent). Children who were adopted at later ages were more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder than those who were younger at the time of their adoption.

Parents of children in this sample reported that as their children aged, their children's language deficits, social skills deficits, and auditory processing difficulties became more prominent. With these increasing stressors, parents also reported that they perceived the need to advocate for their children in order to receive services from schools (85 percent). Over three-quarters of the parents indicated that they were satisfied with the school's service provision. Regarding social and emotional development, 37 percent of the parents reported that their child did not have a best friend. On family relations, 93 percent of parents responded that they had good relationships with their adoptive children.

The results of this descriptive study suggest important programmatic implications for early intervention programs and schools. The high proportion of children who required speech and language services, services for ADHD, and services for neuropsychiatric disorders may necessitate specialized training for general education classroom teachers. Research on lack of success or difficulty in learning has long been associated with such issues as school dropout and risky behaviors; therefore, addressing the needs of this group of children is necessary to minimize the potential long-term impact, for many of these children, on their learning and social relationships. Information on how resilient these children are is also needed. While this survey provided a glimpse into the developmental trajectories of children adopted from Eastern European countries, further research is also needed on the large number of children adopted from other international locations as well as how these children compare to children adopted from within the United States.