Adoptee Issues

The idea of "adoptee issues" is an assuming way to approach any kind of reaction an adopted child may have to his or her situation. Any kind of big change requires some kind of adaptation and adjustment. However, the negative timbre of "issues" is something that resonates searingly, particularly among children who have dealt with multiple placements. But even then, children are not always made to see the glass half-empty. Some adoptees may need a therapeutic environment to work through their feelings about adoption, but children shouldn't be expected to have issues. If a child seems to be handling a placement and his or her adoption in stride, it's not always because there are bottled up emotions inside.

If a child is adopted as an adolescent, behavioral "issues" could very well be symptomatic of the natural developmental stage of a child his or her age independent of an adoptive past.

Note: this doesn't mean a child's needs should be shrugged off with the assumption that they'll go away if you stop building them up. It's every parent's responsibility to meet the needs of his or her child. However, using caution about how these needs are addressed can keep the amount of drama to a minimum. Adoptees may have experiences that other children do not, but that doesn't mean they should feel anxieties that other children do not.