Adoption Roundtable

Dr. Elisha Marr & Dr. Emily Helder discuss research regarding religiosity and adoption. Dr. Marr outlines the findings from existing nationally representative datasets regarding the link between religious affiliation and likelihood of pursuing adoption, linking this with macro level trends such as the Evangelical orphan care movement. Dr. Helder then discusses research on religious motivation and religious meaning making among adoptive parents. Dr. Marr and Dr. Helder then identify challenges in discerning patterns in the research due to variability in research approach and also outline gaps in the existing research on this topic. They end by thinking through the implications for adoption agencies and adoption professionals. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Amy Whitesel describes the work that she and her colleagues in the Early Growth and Development Study have been conducting. The EGDS is a longitudinal study that includes birth/first families, adopted individuals and their adoptive parents. Dr. Whitesel begins by outlining the design and goals of the EGDS, discussing ways that their study has provided a window into the complex interactions between genes and environment and their impact on child development. Additionally, because of the adoption design, the EGDS allows the team to examine a number of research questions related to the experiences of birth/first families, adopted persons, and adoptive families. Dr. Whitesel highlights some of the ways that their findings push against stereotypes and simplistic narratives about members of the adoptive kinship network and describes future plans for the EGDS as the adopted persons included in the study now approach adolescence and early adulthood. For more information and a transcript visit: emilyhelder.com

Dr. Marta Santos Nunes describes the research on parenting stress among adoptive families. She identifies ways that parental factors, such as expectations and parental warmth, and child characteristics, such as behavioral challenges and age, interact in complex ways to predict parenting stress, attachment, as well as child emotional outcomes. She also highlights ways that expectations from others and stereotypes about adoption can contribute to parenting stress. She ends by emphasizing the uniqueness of each adoptive family system and the importance good pre-adoption preparation and high quality post-adoption supports to ensure the best possible outcomes for adoptees and their families. For a transcript and more information visit: emilyhelder.com

Dr. Danielle Godon-Decoteau describes her research in the area of search and reunion with birth/first family among adult transracial adoptees. She begins by outlining the range of perspectives and thoughts that transracial adoptees have about searching and the factors, both macro and individual, that may impact an adoptees interest or lack of interest in searching. For adoptees pursuing searches, Dr. Godon-Decoteau identifies the variety of resources and approaches, highlighting the ways that the internet and DNA testing have impacted the search process. She then moves on to discuss the wide range of potential outcomes of the search process, highlighting the ways that search and reunion is more complicated than simple narratives often presented in the media. Dr. Godon-Decoteau ends by identifying coping strategies that adoptees use throughout the search process and underscores the importance of adoption-informed professionals who can support adoptees. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Sharon Glennen describes her research examining speech language outcomes among adopted children. She discusses the complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors in language development and how they explain the variability of outcomes among adoptees as well as serve as predictors for resilience in children experiencing risk factors for poor language outcomes. Dr. Glennen describes the unique experience of international adoptees learning new languages post-adoption and how this is similar to and different from traditional bilingualism in non-adopted children. Dr. Glennen also outlines the typical trajectory of internationally adopted children's learning of new languages, varying by age at adoption, and what factors should trigger a referral to a speech language pathologist for these children. She ends by discussing ways that parents, speech language pathologists, and school personnel can work as a team to provide relevant services and accommodations for adopted children who qualify for these supports. For a transcript and more information, please visit emilyhelder.com.

Dr. Harold Grotevant holds the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is the founding director of the Rudd Adoption Research Program. He, along with Dr. Ruth McRoy, leads the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP), a 30+ year longitudinal study with adoptees and their adoptive and birth families. In this interview, Dr. Grotevant outlines the changes that have taken place over the last 50 years in adoption practices, especially as related to openness and on-going communication between members of the adoption kinship network. He describes his own research findings from MTARP as well as findings from other researchers that address the impact of openness for adoptees, adoptive families and birth families. Dr. Grotevant also identifies factors that are related to the ability to maintain openness and communication within an adoptive kinship network over time and the role of agencies and adoption professionals in supporting these arrangements. He ends by emphasizing the fluid nature of openness arrangements, highlighting that adoption is a life-long process and openness and communication will change over time within a kinship network. For more information and a transcript, visit emilyhelder.com.

Dr. Monica Dalen discusses her work on academic outcomes among adoptees. She emphasizes the variability in outcomes and the challenges that emerge when trying to make general statements about adoptees as a group, given the variety of trajectories that adoptees follow. She adds complexity to the understanding of common predictive factors, such as age at adoption, and then outlines language development and executive functioning as important mediating factors that could serve as targets for intervention. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com.

Dr. Karin Garber describes her research on adoptive microaggressions, beginning by outlining ways that stigma and stereotypes about members of the adoption kinship network can lead to intentional or unintentional negative messages that can be communicated through behavioral, verbal, and environmental means. Dr. Garber goes on to describe the spectrum of microaggressions, providing examples of microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations that adoptees may experience. She then compares microaggressions experienced by adoptees with the research on microaggressions experienced by birth/first parents and adoptive parents. Dr. Garber provides helpful suggestions for adoptive parents seeking to support their adoptive children in navigating and responding to microaggressions as well as for practitioners working with members of the adoption kinship network. She concludes by discussing a new area of research that she and others are pursuing related to intraethnic and intraracial microaggressions experienced by transracial adoptees. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Bibiana Koh, Dr. JaeRan Kim, and Dr. Ruth McRoy discuss the importance of thinking about adoption competency as an ongoing area of development for professionals, rather than an endpoint that can be reached. They outline their research findings from a study that surveyed faculty about their coverage of adoption content in higher education programs. Drs. Koh, Kim & McRoy provide suggestions about adoption related topics that are important to cover at the undergraduate and graduate level of training and also the ways that post-graduate certificate programs can deepen knowledge and practice skills. They describe barriers to the inclusion of adoption content in a variety of fields, despite it's interdisciplinary relevance, and provide policy recommendations for increasing adoption coverage in higher education. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Peter Selman, an expert in adoption policy and demographic trends in adoption, discusses the structural factors that lead to changing trends in international adoption. He then focuses on international adoptions that occur in the context of natural disasters or political crises, identifying the role of the media in framing these crises and the child welfare implications of such framing. Dr. Selman also discusses the concept of "adoption as rescue," identifying the origins as well as implications of this motivation for international adoption. He concludes by discussing safeguards that are designed to prevent unethical adoption practices that may emerge during periods of crisis and also outlines the role of Western nations in preventing the proliferation of institutional care in non-Western nations and supporting global child welfare practices that seek the best interests of children. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Anne Atkinson, president and founder of PolicyWorks, Ltd. & Debbie Riley, LCMFT, CEO of the Center for Adoption Support and Education, discuss the importance of providing adoption competent mental health care to all members of the adoption triad. They begin by explaining what is meant by adoption competency and outline two post-graduate programs that have been developed, the Training in Adoption Competency curriculum and the web-based National Training Initiative. They describe the research that has been done to rigorously evaluate the trainings in terms of their impact on mental health practitioners knowledge and practice as well as outcomes for adoptive families. They end by summarizing important policy initiatives that can continue to grow an adoption competent mental health workforce. For more information on this episode and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Elizabeth Raleigh discusses the work that she and Dr. Rose Kreider have been doing in developing a demographic understanding of White and Black adoptive parents of Black children using US Census data. She highlights the lack of nationally representative research of Black adoptive families and the implications of this significant research gap. Dr. Raleigh then outlines the findings, both those expected and surprising, from using the US Census data to compare Black and White adoptive families of Black children, linking these findings with the broader discussion of race in America. Last, she describes a research agenda moving forward that would focus on broader and deeper understanding of Black Adoptive families. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Mary Hansen, professor of Economics at American University, describes her research and policy work in the area of child welfare. She outlines the important ethical tensions inherent in adoption and ways that an economic lens is helpful in understanding and seeking to balance these tradeoffs. She reviews various changes in adoption law and policy and their impact on international and domestic adoption. She then discusses efforts to improve child welfare policy to remove barriers to permanency for children in foster care and promote positive outcomes through standardizing home study processes across states. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com.

Dr. Hanna Raaska, Chief Physician at the Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Unit at Helsinki University Hospital in Finland and member of the Finnish Adoption Study Group, discusses her research regarding behavioral and emotional outcomes among internationally adopted children and the ways that adoptive families can promote resilience and positive outcomes. For a transcript and more information visit: https://emilyhelder.com

Dr. Darcey Merritt & Rachel Ludeke, LMSW discuss their research regarding post-adoption services, identifying ways that service needs may vary based on adoption type (private infant, domestic foster care, international). They outline barriers that exist for accessing various post-adoption services and also ways that these services could be improved. They highlight the importance of ensuring that the preferences and experiences of adopted and foster youth take center stage in the creation and implementation of services. Throughout the interview, they examine the many ways that race and class intersect within adoption, and child welfare more generally. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Maria Kroupina, a pediatric psychologist at the Adoption Medicine Clinic at the University of Minnesota and the director of the Birth to Three Program and the Early Child Mental Health Program, discusses her role in promoting positive mental health outcomes for adoptees. She describes the history of the Adoption Medicine Clinic and the research and clinical work conducted by their team. She outlines her own role in supporting parents to provide a buffering relationship for their children as they encounter and cope with stressors. In discussing the interdisciplinary work at the clinic, she highlights the role of attachment and specific intervention approaches used by their team to support children following early experiences of abuse and neglect. For more information and a transcript visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Elsbeth Neil discusses the losses that children often experience in the context of adoption and the ways that continued contact with birth family & foster carers as well as policies around residential moves can mitigate or assist in coping with loss. Dr. Neil presents a number of helpful suggestions for adoptees and parents seeking to navigate open adoption. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Dr. Rachael Clemens discusses her research, which uses an information science lens to more deeply understand the experience of first or birth mothers both before and after they make the decision to relinquish their child.  She highlights the information and resources that first/birth mothers sought and areas where mothers felt support was lacking. Her research describes the navigation of complex relationships in open adoptions from the first/birth mother perspective and themes of trust, power, vulnerability, and envisioning future possible selves. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Megan Bresnahan, OTR/L, an Occupational Therapist at the Adoption Medicine Clinic at the University of Minnesota discusses her role at the interdisciplinary clinic and the value of multi-disciplinary assessment and intervention among adoptees and children in foster care. She provides valuable information regarding sensory difficulties, explaining why these can occur among adoptees and gives suggestions and resources for parents. For a transcript and more information, visit https://emilyhelder.com

Sebilu Bodja, MPA & Kristi Gleason, LMSW, outline Ethiopia's transition from being a sending country for international adoptions toward developing and prioritizing domestic foster care and adoption programs. They highlight ways that Bethany Christian Services has worked in partnership with the Ethiopian government and local communities to establish policies promoting family-based care, expand the social work workforce, and move towards deinstitutionalization of children previously cared for in orphanages. They identify ways that, historically, funding from NGOs, churches, and individuals may have inadvertently led to proliferation of institutional care and provide suggestions for ways to direct funds and volunteer efforts to promote family-based care for vulnerable children globally. For a transcript and more information visit https://emilyhelder.com

Francine Fishman, LCSW, discusses what it means for educators and schools to create a culturally responsive classroom for adopted students. She provides lessons learned from her own work in training teachers and working with students and shares practical resources for schools. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Judith Eckerle, MD the Director of the Adoption Medicine Clinic at the University of Minnesota, discusses the adoption of children with disabilities and medical conditions. She outlines trends in adoption, pre-adoption preparation for families, and the evaluation and support of children, highlighting the innovative interdisciplinary team model utilized at the Adoption Medicine Clinic. For a transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

The co-editors of the Routledge Handbook of Adoption discuss how they came to be working together and their main goals in putting together the Handbook. They preview the sections of the Handbook and the topics that are included, ending with a discussion of the intended audiences for the Handbook. For transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com

Co-editors of the Routledge Handbook of Adoption discuss the first chapter of the Handbook that they co-wrote, providing an overview of the history of adoption in the US, current forms of adoption, and areas of controversy or tension in the field. Main themes covered include the intersection of race and class in the context of adoption, openness in adoption, and transracial adoption. For transcript and more information visit emilyhelder.com