International Adoption, Children Health, Medical Records
We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Send us an email or call us at (800) 960-0907. Are there questions that you think should be included? Please let us know. Our new FAQ's are compiled by you—our visitors and our clients.
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Are the children healthy?
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Should we have our family physician or pediatrician review the medical records that we receive with our referral?
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Are we provided a record of vaccinations?
1. Are the children healthy?
As is the case of giving birth to a child, there is no guarantee of perfect health. AdoptInternatinal provides all medical information that is available and encorages parents to seek the advice and consultation of a pediatrician with expertise in evaluating medical information of institutionalized children from their child's geographic area of the world. Institutionalized children almost always exhibit developmental delays. Some children may require a longer time to adjust to their new home and to bond with their new family. In some areas of the world, we must be particularly attuned to issues surrounding fetal alchohol syndrom or fetal alchohol effects. We highly recommend that you visit our Adoption Resources page for further information on parenting and medical issues related to internationally adopted children.
2. Should we have our family physician or pediatrician review the medical records that we receive with our referral?
You may want to consult a doctor who has experience with adopted children who are from the same region that you are adopting from. This is especially true if you are adopting internationally. A Ukrainian medical record, for instance, may contain terms that are unfamiliar to most U.S. doctors but are more familiar to specialists or doctors with more knowledge about that area. In some instances, medical reports routinely contain medical diagnoses of a serious nature that rarely exists. It is important that you engage an experienced medical professional to help you assess whatever medical information is available. If you go to our Adoption Resources you will find many experienced pediatricians involved in adoption evaluations.
3. Are we provided a record of vaccinations?
Yes, this is required by the U.S. Embassy abroad as part of the immigration process.
Thank you for everything. You know you are my angel.
—F. Petit
