While offering a brief, insightful history on how adoption has changed in the last quarter century, this comprehensive guide for adoptive and foster parents also provides an unprecedented kind look at seven critical predictors for an adopted child’s long-term development: age of placement, placement history, medical and special needs, parental care history, demographic variables, and developmental issues. By explaining how these circumstances affect a child’s ability to attach to caregivers, behave appropriately, and formulate an enduring self-identity, the reference develops a useful strategy for meeting the specific needs of the individual child. Also included is commentary on the dramatic rise of open, transracial, older-age, and special-needs adoptions, as well as the impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
Kyle N. Weir, PhD, is an associate professor of Marriage and Family Therapy and the program coordinator of the Counselor Education program at California State University–Fresno. He is also a clinical faculty member, supervisor, and former director of Fresno Family Counseling Center. He is the author of Coming Out of the Adoptive Closet. He lives in Fresno, California.