adoption and reading problems

Di, there are a lot of variables to discuss in adoption and reading problems. First, let me spend a brief second and tell you a bit of who I am and what I have done. I have a 19 year old adopted daughter, I adopted her (open adoption) as a newborn. We did not have reading problems. There have been significant behavior problems.

I am President of Florida’s Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders and have taught BD classes for over 20 years. I am the creator and publisher of Great Leaps Reading.

The circumstances of your adoption matter….everything from genes and chromosomes to the mental state of the mother during the pregnancy. If drugs, alcohol, tobacco were involved then the chances of problems are increased. If there were signficant physical, sexual abuse then the chances of problems dramatically increase.

30% of the children in the country are at risk for reading difficulties. Adopted or not.

If the genetic parents had genetic learning disabilities, then there is a high chance the child will inherit them

Know that God in Heaven has chosen you to be the parent. Your child is lucky to have you - you are a pair made in Heaven. No problem cannot be overcome. My mother taught me as a failing 2nd grader to read - now I write the books. She had no money - she used common sense and love - your two most critical weapons. There are many of us wishing to help you and your children along the way.

God Bless - Ken Campbell

Amen, Ken! I really can’t add anything to something so well said!

We have a child (now 6 years) adopted from China at age 6 months, and while she likely has no history of abuse or prenatal drugs, etc., she still has a language delay and associated reading problems. My best guess would be heredity, but that really doesn’t matter. Our focus is to give her all we can to help her be successful in life…and that means to discover the gifts that she has been given by God and use them to her fullest potential. (Interesting that God would bring a child with an auditory processing disorder half-way around the world to a mother who just happens to teach hearing impaired and LD, isn’t it?!)

Janis

I’m not their parent. I’m their teacher. I teach second grade at a Hebrew day school. The students are expected to be reading by this time of year.

Di

Thank you for the encouragement, but at the school where I work, NOBODY doesn’t learn to read. I’m just trying to find out if I should cut them some extra slack this year and hold them back, or refer them to a specialist, or WHAT. I feel that if this is a trend for adopted kids, how we handle it may be different. Thanks again.

Di

I see! :-) Okay, I would definitely recommend that they have a full evaluation if they are not reading in second grade…doesn’t matter whether they are adopted or not. I think the adoption issue calls for special compassion, but definitely they need to be tested!

Janis

Try posting your question on the phonographix website. There is a notice up on it that the McGinnesses have adopted a baby. I’ll bet they’ll have some good advice for you. The address is http://www.readamerica.net. Good luck with your students.

I can’t speak for reading problems but there are statistics that suggest that a somewhat higher percentage of adopted children have learning differences than do children not adopted. Why this would be or if this could be is not a question I would know the answer to but I’ve been given that statistic several times. My children’s pediatrician tells me that he’s on the lookout for learning differences when he knows his patients are adopted. I don’t get it but there it is.

Yet at the same time I’d tell you both my sons who are my birth children have reading issues.

Since a large number of children are given up for adoption because of severe problems on the mother’s part — illness, alcohol, drugs, mental problems, or poor adaptation to society leading to unemployment and so on — it is not surprising that SOME of the children inherit these kinds of problems; perhaps for examplethe mother was a severe dyslexic who was treated as a failure and turned to the drug culture for relief, for example. But this is SOME of the time. I am always very very worried and very very concerned when people make a sweeping generalization based on a minority (or even a majority less than 100%). You know, the kind of generalization like “girls aren’t dyslexic” (because the first cases were observed in boys) or “girls are bad in spatial relations and math (and what about the small but notable minority of us who teach three-dimensional calculus?) or “these ___ kids can’t learn phonics because their ears don’t work the same way *ours* do” (fill in any ethnic minority in the blank.) Well, “adopted kids have reading problems” can be just as prejudiced and prejudicial. This sheds another light on the old idea of keeping adoption a secret, doesn’t it? There were reasons at the time! (And re-read the first couple of chapters of Anne of Green Gables and look at the attitude problems there.) This isn’t to say ignore problems — but please try to look at each child objectively and try to find the real needs to address. And it’s good to hear of a school that doesn’t put out non-readers! It may seem hard now, but if you find a way to get these kids reading now they will be very grateful for the rest of their lives.

From my informal observations, I do think that adopted children have more challenges with reading and more prone to learning disabilities.

If you read Jacqueline Stordy’s excellent book, The LCP [long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids] Solution: The Remarkable Treatment for ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, she correlates a higher incidence of essential fatty acids deficiency to a decrease in breastfeeding. Since very few adopted children are breastfed and there is a greater likelihood of maternal poor nutrition, this theory at least has internal consistency to me. The nutrient lacking in formula but rich in breast milk (asuming the mother has a good diet–not always easy in our junk food culture) is essential fatty acids.

Essential fatty acid (EFAs) nutritional supplementation has shown to decrease the severity of the above conditions. There is quite a bit of solid research (and anecdotal experience too) to show this.

A nutritionist I have consulted recommends EFA supplementation for all bottle fed infants–adopted or not–because up until now the FDA has not required EFAs in infant formula (I think this is about to change but I don’t know all the details).

Infants under 6 months of age should be supplemented with 100 mg of the EFA called DHA per day and infants over 6 months should get 200 mg of DHA which can be purchased in gel caps and squeezed into formula.

Dr. Stordy’s book gives detailed information on supplementation for children and adults with ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Hmmmm, well now this brings up an interesting thought……

My 12-yr-old dyslexic son was breastfed exclusively for 13 months.
He never had a bottle of formula, never had a bottle of anything.
And he continued on with nursing until he was three years old.

But who knows? Currently he is reading at a 4th grade level, without
nursing he might be severely dyslexic and at a 1st grade level!

Anne

Ken said it all so well.

Our son is adopted from birth we know the parents who at the time were teenagers. My son is ld and I have come to find out from the paternal grandmother that of her 3 sons 2 were “a little slow” in school. One got help and is doing fine the other dropped out.

So, it comes as no surprise that our son is ld. He will soar because we love him more than anything and because we have gotten him as much help as possible since age 3.

By just looking at the students within the two schools I’m associated with, one would find that a higher percentage of the adopted children have learning issues.
I think that Victoria gives some good examples that explain some of this.Another reason, especially in the case of adoption of children from overseas, has to do with their institutionalization till they were adopted. If these babies were in orphanages, they’ll likely have some sensory integration issues that affect learning. But you know, there’s always going to be exceptions. There will be adopted kids who defy the odds by NOT having LD’s, and there’ll be kids whose parents have done everything “right”, yet the children still do have LD’s.

Adopted, not adopted, we all in our hearts would like an answer for why some kids have problems and others don’t.

When I was a foster mom for 8 yrs. I saw all kinds of situations. I had a child for two years I loved and she was very smart. Her mom drank like a fish, did drugs, etc. through all 9 of her pregnancies and none of her kids were ld. Upon return to her they all have delinquency problems from her neglect.

All I say is somethings are life and cannot be explained must just be excepted and dealt with to our best ability.

Joan,

In thinking about my daughter who was in an orphanage for her first six months, I have wondered whether the deprivation during that time entered into her APD. But then I look at the other 6 babies who were adopted at the same time from the same orphanage, and they do not all have that problem. Some are advanced verbally and reading above grade level in first grade. Because of their birthdates (Sept.-Nov.) some are in kindergarten, but I will be interested to see if any others have reading or other delays. I think as always, children are a product of heredity and environment, adopted or not. As you said, it’s tough to generalize since there are always exceptions.

Janis

I also breastfed exclusively for aobut 13 mos. Since husband Swiss we got a tax deduction for every month I breastfed. Something like 96% of Swiss women breastfeed for at least 6 mos. Kids have very few ear infections and they seem to have few ld’s. But then I’m told the European languages are easier to learn to read and write.

we lived in Hong Kong six years ago when son born. I learned of an orphange that held kids for 6 mos before thye could let paretns have them (Legal thing). I donated some of stuff son was outgrowing and when I went in there were usually volunteers in there holding babies to socialize them. Natually the bright beautiful babies got more attention. I remember one little girl crying in a swing and I took her out to hold just for a few minutes. I’ll never forget how her eyes searched my face looking for recognition , someone to smile into her eyes. I’ve always prayed she got a mama and daddy that gave those hungry eyes as many smiles as she wanted.

The babies we (our group) adopted from Chinese orphanges had totally bonded with their parents by the time the two week trip was over. Babies who had had little attention totally connected with those first people who gave them their full attention. It is still amazing to me and a memory that will remain precious to me forever. That little baby smiled at us within the first few minutes we held her. It was like..you’ve finally come for me.

Janis

janis , That’s good to know. You made me cry.

PK, it still makes me cry, too.

Janis

Di,
I think the adoption angle of your question has been handled by those who can best speak to the issue.

I can however speak to the issue of being in a school…a Yeshiva…where ALL kids learn to read. I too was a non-reader; in fact, I am dyslexic. While I was taught to read English by a very caring and kind tutor by the end of 3rd grade, I never learned to read Hebrew. Instead of providing me with support and understanding I was held up to ridicule, given 2 books to read instead of one each week so that I could get “practice.” I did go to Yeshiva through 12 grade. What I learned was that I was a lazy, unmotivated student who could do the work if I “just tried harder.” I can remember like it was yesterday the day we had company in my 6th grade class who was told, “Don’t call on her, she can’t read.” My feelings of failure and humiliation go so deep that even now, at age 55, I start shaking just thinking about it.

If I can help you help your students now, please let me know.

Shalom,
Marge Wetmore
Http://www.net-haven.net

Author: Marge
Date: 03-12-02 15:09

Di,
I think the adoption angle of your question has been handled by those who can best speak to the issue.

I can however speak to the issue of being in a school…a Yeshiva…where ALL kids learn to read. I too was a non-reader;
in fact, I am dyslexic. While I was taught to read English by a very caring and kind tutor by the end of 3rd grade, I
never learned to read Hebrew. Instead of providing me with support and understanding I was held up to ridicule, given
2 books to read instead of one each week so that I could get “practice.” I did go to Yeshiva through 12 grade. What I
learned was that I was a lazy, unmotivated student who could do the work if I “just tried harder.” I can remember like
it was yesterday the day we had company in my 6th grade class who was told, “Don’t call on her, she can’t read.” My
feelings of failure and humiliation go so deep that even now, at age 55, I start shaking just thinking about it.

If I can help you help your students now, please let me know.

Shalom,
Marge Wetmore
Http://www.net-haven.net