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AAP: Offer support to families of adopted children
As more children are adopted, the pediatrician’s role in helping these families adjust is all the more important, according to a statement by the AAP Committee on Early Childhood and Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care.
Veronnie F. Jones, MD, PhD, and colleagues wrote that data from 2007 indicate that approximately 2% of the child population in the United States was adopted, and the child’s physician can take an active role in every step of the process.
Jones and colleagues urged pediatricians to:
- Review health records with families before the adoption occurs, to review the child’s health needs.
- Review resources for parents related to the development of the child.
- Discuss the best time to discuss adoption with the child.
- Be a role model for good communication.
“Effective communication about adoption is important for the long-term mental and physical health and well-being of each child and family,” the AAP committee members wrote in the statement. “Pediatricians play an important role in helping families deal with the differences, the losses, and the many other issues surrounding the adoption of a child.”
Disclosure: Jones reports no relevant financial disclosures.
