Vol. 1, No. 4
Summer 1996

Preventing Disruption

• Be responsive when parents ask you for help when their adoptive child is "acting out". Asking for help does not mean they are bad parents or want you to remove the child from the home.

• Increase the amount of time adoptive parents and children have to get to know each other.

• Make sure the family's biological children are involved in the decision to adopt.

• Consider using the Child Behavior Checklist or DOTS-R to help adoptive caregivers prepare for the child coming into their life.

• When possible, help forge a link between new adoptive parents and previous foster parents who were able to interact successfully with this child.

• Recognize that parents' ability to deal appropriately with an emotionally nonresponsive child is a strong indicator of an adoption's success.

• Discuss the possibility of establishing support groups for adoptive parents and adoptive children with people in your agency.

• As much as possible, base a match on a family's attitudes and parenting styles. A middle-class, professional life-style does not predict an adoption's success.