International Adoption Health Program

Overview of the International Adoption Health Program

Bringing a child into a family creates an extraordinary opportunity for growth and development of both the child and the family. Appropriate preparation for an adoptive child and ongoing guidance after the arrival help parents meet the emotional, medical, developmental and care needs of their new child. 

International adoption provides a unique circumstance, as the children rarely arrive as newborns, their medical history is sometimes vague or incomplete, and the children are coming from circumstances that place them at some risk for developmental, health and emotional problems.

The International Adoption Health Team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia provides the counseling and evaluation services parents need to prepare for their adopted child. Our team works hard to meet both the needs of both the child and family throughout the adoption process, as well as across the child's initial years with his or her new family.

Pre-adoption counseling

Review of the child's records from abroad can help a family understand more about their prospective child and recognize what issues this child may have upon arrival. It helps parents make an informed decision about their capacity to parent the referred child, and to appropriately prepare for bringing the child into their family. Preparing for meeting and travelling with the child and understanding the immediate physical and behavioral needs can help ease the travel and transition period.

Post-adoption consultation

The International Adoption Health Program is a consultation service to adoptive families and their pediatricians and other primary care providers. Initial consultation shortly after arrival will be with a pediatrician and an occupational therapist.

Our team members have extensive experience caring for adopted children who have special healthcare and developmental needs, who have lived in institutions or foster homes, and who may have experienced abuse or neglect. Early adjustment to the new family, growth, development, feeding, sleeping, health and immunizations are among the issues addressed. Consultation is also available for children who have been with their families for a while, and whose emerging or persisting issues may be physical, behavioral or developmental.

Our team physicians also support families through communication with community primary pediatricians concerning referred children whom they will also later provide primary care. To empower families with the best knowledge and care they may need to help their child thrive, our team also makes referrals to other Children's Hospital specialists and community resources when indicated.

Our team

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More information

If you would like more information about our program, would like to have a pre-adoption medical review or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us at 267-426-5005 or CHOPADOPT@email.chop.edu.

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