The Handbook of International Adoption Medicine: A Guide for Physicians, Parents, and Providers

by Laurie C. Miller

Overview

Since 1989, American families have adopted more than 230,000 children from other countries. Many of these children have lived in crowded conditions, sometimes with poor standards of hygiene, inadequate nutrition, and limited numbers of caregivers. Some suffer from endemic infectious diseases. Upon arrival, practitioners often fail to recognize the unique concerns of this group.
This text provides an overview of the specialized medical and developmental issues that affect internationally adopted children, offering guidelines to the physicians caring for these children and their families before, during, and after adoption. The reader will learn how to advise families prior to an international adoption, how to perform an effective initial screening assessment of the newly arrived child, and how to recognize and manage developmental and other more long-term problems as they emerge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195145304
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/16/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

1. International Adoption MedicinePart I Before the Adoption2. The Effects of Institutionalization on Children3. Special Regional Consideration4. Pre-Adoption Counseling and Evaluating the ReferralPart II Prenatal Exposures5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome6. Prenatal Drug Exposure7. Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Smoking8. Effects of Stress in Early LifePart III Travel and Transition9. Travel and Transition to the Adoptive FamilyPart IV Growth and Development10. Malnutrition and Undernutrition11. Micronutrient Deficiencies12. Microcephaly and Early Brain Injury13. Developmental DelayPart V Infectious Diseases14. Tuberculosis15. Hepatitis B16. Hepatitis C17. Intestinal Parasites and Other Enteric Infections18. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)19. Syphilis20. Heliocobacter Pylori21. Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases22. Unusual and other Infectious DiseasesPart VI Other Medical Conditions23. Inherited Disorders of Erythrocytes24. Lead and Other Evrionmental Toxins25. Rickets26. Uncertain Age27. Precocious Puberty28. Lactose IntolerancePart VII Neurocognitive and Behavioral Issues29. Attachment30. Behavioral and Mental Disorders31. Language32. School Issues33. Sensory Integration Disorder34. Culture and Identity35. After Adoption: Unspoken Problems36. Resources

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Daniel R. Bronfin, M.D.(Ochsner Clinic Foundation)
Description: This is the first comprehensive book devoted to the burgeoning field of international adoption medicine. Roughly 200,000 children have been adopted from other countries by Americans since 1986; the unique medical and developmental problems of these patients require specialized knowledge by the providers and families who care for them.
Purpose: The book successfully guides the reader through the medical, legal, psychosocial, developmental, and emotional issues in 1) preparing for international adoption, 2) initial evaluation of a child upon arrival to the U.S., and 3) early recognition and management of possible long-term problems based on the child's country of origin.
Audience: Pediatricians will be the main beneficiary of this effort. It will also prove to be a useful book for social workers, therapists, nonmedical adoption professionals and parents.
Features: Dr. Miller focuses on pre-adoption issues, prenatal exposures, travel and transition, growth and development, infectious diseases and other medical problems, and neurocognitive/behavioral issues relevant to international adoptees. The emphasis on issues unique to various countries of origin and the in-depth discussion on the effects of institutionalization were most enlightening.
Assessment: This is an indispensable resource for physicians who provide care to these children and an important and fascinating read for all child advocates. Dr. Miller appropriately comments in the preface that credit is often inappropriately given to healthcare professionals for these children's successes, while in fact, the "most profound intervention of all" is the act of adoption itself.

Doody's Review Service

"I strongly recommend this book to adoptive parents, adoption agencies, physicians, and anyone interested in the health and well-being of children adopted from other other countries." —Adoptive Families

"In an ambitious effort, Laurie Miller, one of the pioneers of international adoption medicine, takes on a wide range of challenges for international adoptees. The book's content provides sufficient depth and detail for the health care provider and practical advice for adoptive parents...Of all the sections, perhaps the most useful is the last, which addresses attachment, learning, and cultural and identity issues...The book is an excellent resource for adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and health care professionals. It fills a gap in the literature and is a welcome and much-needed resource."—New England Journal of Medicine

"This is an indispensable resource for physicians who provide care to these children and an important and fascinating read for all child advocates." —Doody's

From the Publisher