Topics

FROM CO-FOUNDER DANA JOHNSON   Dear Adoptive Parent: After reviewing the medical records of nearly 15,000 institutionalized children, I can conclusively state that the most difficult area in adoption medicine is predicting the needs of children adopted from orphanages. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of dogmatic opinion, both positive and negative, on the outcome of these children. Recently I have been quoted as saying that 85% of institutionalized children are normal. If so, why are so many families seeking help for their adopted children...  More

MULTIMEDIA

Head circumference, how to measure a child's
Fetal alcohol facial features, how your clinician measures
 

PRE-ADOPTION & TRAVEL PREPARATION

Abuse, physical and sexual
Bony fractures, physical abuse and rickets
Health history, how to gather the child's health history
Health Guidance and Immigration Support (CDC external link)
How to measure head circumference
International adoption: why and from where?
Pharmaceuticals used in orphanages
Photos, how to take good photos (for purposes of FAS diagnosis)
Physical abuse
Referral you've been waiting for, the
Reviewer's role
Sexual abuse
Translator, finding a
Travel clinics HealthPartners Travel Medicine (Twin Cities)
Travel packing list
Understanding the medical information in your referral
Video, how to take good video (for the purpose of assessing development)
 

POST-ADOPTION

Adoptee screening protocols
Attachment
BCG and TB skin testing
Breastfeeding
Development
Eating
Growth
Head size and neurologic outcomes
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: MOFAS.org   Evaluations
Hearing and vision screening
How to collect stool specimen (for clinic appt)
Immunizations
Melamine exposure
Precocious puberty
Radiation effects
Screening protocols for newly arrived IA
Sleep issues
 

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
HIV
Parasites
Scabies
Syphilis
Tuberculosis (TB)
 

LEGACY PUBS

Seeking Doctors' Advice in Adoptions From Afar (2006) New York Times (www.nytimes.com): Jan. 3, 2006 
International Adoption: What Is Fact, What Is Fiction, and What Is the Future? (2005) Pedatr Clin N Am 52: 1221-1246 _10.2MB
Education and Internationally Adopted Children: Working Collaboratively With Schools (2005) Pedatr Clin N Am 52: 1445-1461 _4.6MB
Malaria Among Refugee Children at Arrival in the United States (2005) Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal; 24(5): 450-452
Medical Concerns for International Adoptees: A Guide for Pediatricians and Other Health Care Providers (2005) Report on Intercountry Adoption; 73-77 _108KB
International Adoption: Information for Parents and Educators (2004) National Association of School Psychologists; S7-43-47 _1.8MB
Adoption and the Effect on Children's Development (2002) Early Human Development; 68 (39-54) _14.7MB  Also at Elsevier Science Journal
Medical and Developmental Sequelae of Early Childhood Institutionalization in Eastern European Adoptees (2000) Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology Vol. 31:4 _10.1MB
Long-term Medical Issues in International Adoptees (2000) Pediatr. Ann. Vol 29(4): 234-41 _2.8MB
The Risks of Radiation Effects in Children Adopted from Russia (1998) Adoptive Families Jan/Feb _6MB
Medical Issues in International Adoption (1997) Adoptive Families Jan/Feb _6MB
Health of Children Adopted from the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: Comparison with Pre-adoptive Medical Records (1997) JAMA Vol 27B, No. 11 _1.7MB
Medical Evaluation of Internationally Adopted Children (1991) NEJM 325:479-485 _9.9MB
Hepatitis B: Interpretation of Laboratory Test Results  Minnesota Department of Health
Does [Head] Size Matter, or Is Bigger Better? _297KB
International Adoption: Implications for Early Intervention _4.2MB
Medical Supervision of Internationally Adopted Children _4MB

ELSEWHERE: INTL ADOPTION ON THE WEB

Links 
Other adoption medicine professionals