By gathering as much information about the child's current health status and the background of the birth family, you are better able to decide whether or not to adopt that child. "Children adopted internationally often look healthy," says Dr. Schwarzwald. "So pediatricians not used to seeing such kids may overlook their what's going on with them medically." Medical conditions more commonly found in children adopted internationally include:
- hepatitis B
- problems related to malnutrition
- delays in development
- exposure to tuberculosis
- intestinal and/or skin parasites
- ear infections
- poor dental health
"If you're adopting an infant, look for things such as whether the baby's weight and head circumference are age-appropriate," says Heidi Schwarzwald, MD., Director of the Texas Children's Health Center for International Adoption (
www.texaschildrenshospital.org).
"Find out what developmental milestones the child has achieved. For toddlers, you also want to watch how they walk and run. Make sure the child can bend over, pick things up and stand back up. Look at how they feed themselves.
Most importantly, find out how the child interacts with caregivers. People adopting school-aged children will want to know whether they can do the 'basic things' for a child of that age, how well the child speaks his or her native language, You'll want to pay particular attention to how they are forming emotional attachments — and many of these kids do great!"
Consult a Pediatrician
Adoptive parents should select a pediatrician before adopting a child and meet with the doctor to discuss the child before the child comes home. Once you gather as much information as possible about a child, plan to meet with a pediatrician to talk about what it all means and whether there are any specific concerns.
If you are adopting a child from another country, check out one of the international adoption clinics located throughout the US. They provide many services for families, including preadoptive evaluation before your accept a referral. If the child you are considering has a known health condition, you may want to consult a specialist in that field.
