Adoption and Developmental Stages

Children's understanding of adoption differs at different ages. A parent's explanation of a child's adoption will need to be explained more fully as the child grows and learns. In this section, find resources to inform families how to sensitively provide guidance to children at different ages and developmental levels.

• Infants
• Preschoolers and elementary school
• Adolescents and young adults

Infants

Birth to 5: Growth, Development, and Adoption
Radigan
Parents
Explains how adoption may affect child physical, cognitive, and social development in the first five years of life.

Developing Emotional Attachments in Adopted Children
Parker
Attachment Parenting International
Outlines the ways in which adoption can affect child attachment and suggests ways parents can form emotional bonds with their children.

Developmental Milestones for Your Adopted Child
Davies (2015)
Rainbow Kids
Focuses on prioritizing the sequence and tempo of developmental milestones over strict timing for adoptive children. This webpage also provides additional resources about early childhood development that help to inform parenting decisions.

How Infants Grieve: A Guide for New Adoptive Parents
Halverson (2018)
Adoption.com
Explains the ways in which infants communicate grief before language develops and provides recommendations for parents whose children are exhibiting these signs.

(Back to Top)

Preschoolers and elementary school

Birth to 5: Growth, Development, and Adoption
Radigan (2017)
Parents
Examines the physical, cognitive, and social effects of adoption on child developmental milestones.

Intervening Early to Promote the Development of Adopted and Foster Children (PDF - 1,019 KB)
Raby & Dozier (2019)
The Future of Adoption
Rudd Adoption Research Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Examines evidence-based interventions for adopted youth and youth in foster care who have experienced adversity in their caregiving relationships, which in some cases have led to problematic outcomes.

Stages and Ages in Adoption (PDF - 225 KB)
Pavao (2014) 
Riverside Community Care & Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
Provides a chart comparing typical childhood development from birth to age 18 with typical development in adopted children at the same ages, along with strategies to bridge this divide.

(Back to Top)

Adolescents and young adults

Adolescent Development
Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Explores how adolescents change and develop as well as the issues they may face as they mature. This webpage includes sections on healthy relationships, mental health, physical and reproductive health, and substance use.

Adolescents and Adoption (PDF - 670 KB)
Singer & Riley (2016)
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Explains why adolescence can be a particularly turbulent time for adopted teenagers and goes over the ways in which parents can support their children during this time period.

Beneath the Mask: Adoption through the Eyes of Adolescents (PDF - 415 KB)
Riley (2018)
National Council for Adoption
Presents six core issues affecting adolescent adoptees in order to support parents and providers in supporting adolescents' transition from childhood to adulthood.

(Back to Top)