Western New York Teacher Center

Although some adopted children and teen-agers never find themselves questioning their history or facing issues that may be related to their adoption, others who have been adopted as infants discover that issues may re-emerge during adolescence.  Many excellent articles and books address this subject.   

 

More information about adoption issues for those adopted at any age is available at this site.  Knowing when and how to talk with a teenager about adoption can be challenging, and this website provides some guidance. 

 

Sometimes adoptive children have no knowledge of their biological families and no way to get information about their medical history. A resource that may be helpful to some people would include a company such as "23 and me" that charges a fee to provide information based on the individual's DNA genetic materal.    

 

Attachment disorders sometimes occur when children are adopted, though more often if the child is not adopted as a newborn.  They may also be related to pre-birth events.  On-line articles from this local resource are available.  Attachment issues stem from broken or interrupted bonds with primary care-givers that occur before a child reaches the age of three then later manifest in social, emotional or behaviorial problems.  The Center for Family Development is a local agency that deals with attachment disorders.