Long-term effects of pre-adoptive risk on emotional and behavioral functioning in children adopted from foster care

Blake, Austin J.; Ruderman, Matthew A.; Waterman, Jill; Langley, Audra K.

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105031

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The authors suggest that inconsistencies in fostered children's early caregiving environments lead to deficits in inhibitory control, which in turn are associated with disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Other studies support the idea that inhibitory control provides a link between early out-of-home care experiences and school outcomes (Blake, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Socio-emotional Competence and School Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…However, it is suggested that too much emphasis has been placed on these pre-birth factors compared with what happens in the weeks and months after birth. Based on a large-scale longitudinal study of children adopted from foster care in the US, Blake and colleagues(2021) argue for a stronger focus on preadoptive as opposed to prenatal risks. They find that the more quickly a child is adopted, the smaller the effects of damaging prenatal conditions.…”

Section: Young Children In the Care System In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invisible children: The out-of-home care and education of babies and toddlers

Jackson¹,

Figueira-Bates²,

Hollingworth³

2022

Adoption & Fostering

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Many thousands of very young children pass through the UK care system every year. Understandably, social workers are reluctant to separate children from their parents, and legal protections designed to prevent the separation from becoming permanent lead to constant delay in making longer-term plans. The aim is that the children should either be returned to their birth families or placed for adoption, but this is not achieved in up to 50% of cases. Consequently, many infants and toddlers remain in foster care, intended to be temporary, for long periods. Yet we know little about their lives in care or who looks after them. Research on foster care and on early childhood education and care (ECEC) has developed on separate and unrelated lines, resulting in an extreme shortage of empirical evidence about the care and education of fostered children under school age. Lack of attention to this critical period of life fails to take account of advances in research both on early brain development and on the lasting effects of adverse childhood experiences. Meanwhile, young children continue to be moved between short-term foster placements for administrative reasons, ignoring the undisputed importance of stable early attachments. The potential of foster care as a learning and therapeutic resource in the early years has also been largely overlooked. Better mental health and educational attainment for children in out-of-home care require a much stronger policy focus on their earliest experiences and developmental progress. This article argues that there is an urgent need for research-based information to guide policy and practice.

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Section: Socio-emotional Competence and School Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Young Children In the Care System In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invisible children: The out-of-home care and education of babies and toddlers

Jackson¹,

Figueira-Bates²,

Hollingworth³

2022

Adoption & Fostering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The effects of such early adversity on mental health persist over time (Paine, Fahey, et al, 2021). Recent research has shown that, on average, children adopted from care have been exposed to more Adverse Childhood Experiences (Blake et al, 2021; Felitti et al, 1998) than the general population, with negative implications for their mental health after placement (Anthony et al, 2019). Adverse experiences of care in childhood (e.g.…”

Section: Adoptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coherent lives: Making sense of adoptees’ experiences in education through narrative identity

Brown,

Shelton

2023

British Educational Res J

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Children adopted from care become part of a hidden, but no less vulnerable, group in the education system and may be overlooked for allocation of additional support and guidance. Adoption is a relatively unique experience and adds layers of complexity, difference and vulnerability to young people's lives that are poorly understood and under‐researched. Adopted adolescents face significant challenges in social, emotional and behavioural aspects of school life. An attainment gap persists throughout their educational career. Adoptees are strikingly absent from many conversations regarding care‐experienced young people yet their needs and challenges are comparable with those of their peers remaining in the care system. Assumptions are made about adoptees’ opportunity and capacity to recover, concealing challenges faced in adjusting to adoptive life, including education. The impact of adoptees’ early experiences could lead to complex identity formation processes during adolescence, with potential implications for education experience and performance. This paper explores the potential of applying a narrative adoptive identity perspective to answer questions about how adopted children and young people experience school as an adopted person, i.e. how does their lived experience as an adopted member of a school community impact on their engagement with school, schoolwork and peer networks? The concept of ‘communicative openness’ is used to illustrate the vital role the school community plays in enabling adopted children to transition into and thrive in school. Taking a narrative adoptive identity approach may enable teachers to better meet adoptees’ specific learning and teaching needs as dictated by their unique experiences and enhance opportunities for better educational progress.

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