Publications - Adoption

Building families, one adoption at a time, by Heather Stringer, American Psychological Association, May 2017.

“Psychologists work with adoptive parents on a range of issues, including psychological assessments, counseling and other support they can’t get elsewhere ”

Trans And Adopted: Exploring Teen Identity, by Martha Bebinger, Kaiser Health News, Sep 1 2016.

“Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Gender Management Service clinic, where Nathan is a patient, began making the same connection a few years ago. They combed through patient records and found that 8.2 percent of the 184 young people seen in the clinic between 2007 and 2015 were raised in adoptive families. Overall, only 2.3 percent of children living in Massachusetts were adopted. “Before I started seeing transgender kids, it would not have occurred to me that we might see more adopted kids,” said Dr. Daniel Shumer, a pediatric endocrinologist who treated transgender kids at the GeMS clinic for three years before moving to Ann Arbor, Mich., to work in a similar clinic. ”

How One Piece of Paper is Changing Lives of Colorado’s Adult Adoptees, by Kevin Simpson, The Denver Post, Apr 30 2016.

“Colorado law, which initially kept adoption records open in the manner of real estate documents, had sealed those records — including birth certificates — by 1950 and required court action to gain access. ”

Parental Equality, NOT “Adoption Equality”, by Mirah Riben, The Huffington Post, Nov 12 2015.

“Children need and deserve for both parents raising them to have full parental rights. Children need this regardless of their parents’ sexual orientation. Thus, same sex couples are fighting for what they are calling “adoption equality.” ”

Equality in Marriage May Not Bring Equality in Adoption, by Andrew Giambrone, The Atlantic, May 26 2015.

“Reverend Matthew Bode has been with his husband since 2010, after the two met through mutual friends in the Michigan community where they do social-justice work. In 2013, they wed at a public religious ceremony attended by loved ones. Both men knew they wanted to be parents at some point, though neither felt the need to have a biological child. So, about a year and a half ago, they started to foster children in Detroit, a city Bode has called home since 2002. He and his husband are now in the process of adopting two girls-sisters-whom they fostered. But because Michigan does not allow unmarried couples to adopt, nor recognizes gay marriage, Bode’s husband is the one adopting as a single parent. ”

Orphans' Lonely Beginnings Reveal How Parents Shape A Child's Brain, by Jon Hamilton, NPR, Feb 24 2014.

“Parents do a lot more than make sure a child has food and shelter, researchers say. They play a critical role in brain development. More than a decade of research on children raised in institutions shows that "neglect is awful for the brain," says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital. Without someone who is a reliable source of attention, affection and stimulation, he says, "the wiring of the brain goes awry." The result can be long-term mental and emotional problems. ”

Adoption Therapy: Perspectives from Clients and Clinicians on Processing and Healing Post-Adoption Issues, by Laura Dennis, Adoptee Reading Resource, 2014.

“A much-needed anthology addressing a variety of potential psychological and physiological concerns, Adoption Therapy, Perspectives from Clients and Clinicians on Processing and Healing Post-Adoption Issues is a must-read for adoptees, adoptive parents, first families, and vitally, mental health professionals. ”

Overseas adoptions rise-for black American children, by Sophie Brown, CNN, Sep 17 2013.

“While the number of international adoptions is plummeting -- largely over questions surrounding the origin of children put up for adoption in developing countries -- there is one nation from which parents abroad can adopt a healthy infant in a relatively short time whose family history and medical background is unclouded by doubt: The United States. ”

10 Things Adoptees Want You to Know, by Lesli Johnson, LMFT, The Huffington Post, Mar 13 2013.

“10 Things Adoptees Want You to Know. As an adoptee gets older, if no one is talking about adoption, we get the sense that our feelings won’t be understood or validated. I’m now a therapist myself and have worked extensively with adoptive families. In my work I strive to help this generation of adoptees, adoptive families and birth parents to have a different experience than I did. ”

Perpetual Child: Adult Adoptee Anthology: Dismantling the Stereotype (The AN-YA Project), by Diane René Christian, 2013.

Parenting from the Inside Out 10th Anniversary edition: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive, by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, 2013.

White Parents, Black Children: Experiencing Transracial Adoption, by Darron T. Smith, Cardell K. Jacobson, Brenda G. Juárez, Nov 11 2011.

“  White Parents, Black Children looks at the difficult issue of race in transracial adoptions--particularly the adoption by white parents of children from different racial and ethic groups. Despite the long history of troubled and fragile race relations in the United States, some people believe the United States may be entering a post-racial state where race no longer matters, citing evidence like the increasing number of transracial adoptions to make this point. However, White Parents, Black Children argues that racism remains a factor for many children of transracial adoptions. Black children raised in white homes are not exempt from racism, and white parents are often naive about the experiences their children encounter.  ”

Me and my Family: A book for adopted children and their families to get to know each other, by Jean Maye, 2011.

Four Adopted Siblings, Lots of Stress, by Joshua Sparrow, New York Times, Dec 31 2010.

“Dr. Joshua D. Sparrow, a child psychiatrist, recently took reader questions on children, stress and the holidays. Here, Dr. Sparrow responds to a reader concerned about helping her adopted children adapt to the stresses of the holiday season. ”

Adopted children at greater risk for mental health disorders, by Madison Park, CNN, Apr 14 2010.

“Children who are adopted may be at elevated risk for mental health disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiance, major depression and separation anxiety disorders, according to a wide body of research. There's also evidence to suggest that children adopted internationally could have much higher rates of fetal alcohol syndrome, autism and brain damage, said Dr. Ronald Federici, a clinical neuropsychologist who works with adopted children. ”