High-risk issues: Development, FAS, RAD, SPD, etc

Find an International Adoption Doctor. Here is a State by state listing. The majority of your communications with the IA doctor will be from out of country, so don't get hung up on having a local doctor unless you want.

General adoption-specific health issues:

• Lots of information about adoption health at OrphanDoctor.com
• ARIA: Association for Research in International Adoption

Developmental Issues:

• Read about warning signs for all sorts of developmental issues at FirstSigns.org
• What to Expect and When to Seek Help Developmental Tools by Georgetown University are available at Bright Futures
• State by State listing: National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, also includes a link to Resources: MR/DD associations and organizations and state and federal government resources from across the Internet.
• State by State listing: Developmental Disabilities Sites of the States: An unofficial guide to State Developmental Disabilities Agency sites
• Child Development Info
• The Family Village Web Site is a global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the Internet for persons with cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for those that provide them services and support. This is an awesome sight!

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:

• Symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and abnormal development from the Univeristy of Wales
• FAS Community Resource Center
• Family Village Library's FAS links
• Institute of Medicine Report on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: this article is a quick overview of what FAS affects.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Family Resource Institute
• More links to more links on FAS from http://www.familyvillage.org/
• FAS Chat groups and FAS Adopt listserv for families that have adopted children with FAS
• The ABC's of FAS/FAE, a teachers guide, including checklists, includes checklists and how FAS affects learning (Brittish Columbia site)
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects of Nova Scotia
• Links to pictures of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Evaluation Tools for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• FAS and FAE Issues in Russia/International Adoption
• On taking photos of child for IA doctor to assess
• FAS & Educational Strategies
• Fetal Alcohol Effected Student Checklist For Educational Programming
• Come Over To's page on FAS
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information Website
• Assessment guides for various ages regarding FAS

FAS Physical Abnormalities: Studies by Prof.Dr.med. Hermann Löser from the University Children's Clinic, Münster, Germany. He has followed hundreds of FAS children for over 20 years. His results are in "Ratgeber zur Alkoholembryopathie" published by Lambertus Verlag Freiberg.:

• 98% are under normal height and weight
• 84% Microcephalic (small circumfrance of head)
• 89% Mental and Motor Retardation
• 80% Speech impediments
• 20% Hearing problems
• 20% Swallowing/Feeding problems
• 72% Hyperactive
• 58% Slack muscles
• 20% Autism/Aggressive/Social Problems
• 95% Facial anomalies (**see below)
• 29% Heart defects
• 10% Kidney defects
• 46% Genital deformities
• 25% Eye problems
• 16% Bent crooked little finger
• 51% Shortened and bent little finger
• 13% Underdeveloped fingers
• 9% Hip deformities
• 16% Small teeth
• 30% Pigeon Chest
• 7% Concave chest
• 7% Cleft palate
• 44% Spinal dimple
• 12% Hernia
• 35% Hair growth on back of neck

**Facial abnormalities:

• small eye openings/small eyes, poor development of optic nerve, crossed-eyes, nearsightedness;
• skin webbing between eyes and base of nose;
• drooping eyelids;
• failure of eyes to move in same direction;
• a short, upturned nose;
• sunken nasal bridge;
• and indistinct philtrum (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip);
• thin upper lip;
• small upper mouth structure and teeth;
• opening in roof of mouth;
• low-set or poorly formed ears;
• flattened cheekbones;

Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics: exhibit the following behaviors:

• Facial abnormalities (see above)
• Small size for gestational age or small stature in relation to peers: small body size and weight, small head;
• bent, fused, webbed, or missing fingers or toes;
• limited movement of joints, fingers and elbows
• low birth weight
• caved-in chest wall
• extra fingers, abnormal palm creases
• excessive hair
• under-grown nails
• umbilical or diaphragmatic hernia
• deformed ribs and sternum;
• curved spine;
• hip dislocations;
• incomplete development of genitalia
• incomplete or lack of development of brain structures
• Organ deformities: heart defects; heart murmurs; genital malformations; kidney and urinary defects.

Children with FASDs might exhibit the following behaviors:

• irritability in infancy and hyperactivity in childhood
• poor coordination
• failure to thrive
• developmental delay
• organ dysfunction
• epilepsy
• poor coordination/fine motor skills
• poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating to groups
• lack of imagination or curiosity
• learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills
• behavioral problems, including hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety
• Central nervous system handicaps: small brain; faulty arrangement of brain cells and connective tissue; mental retardation -- usually mild to moderate but occasionally severe; learning disabilities; short attention span; irritability in infancy; hyperactivity in childhood; poor body, hand, and finger coordination.
• Poor coordination
• Hyperactive behavior
• Developmental disabilities (e.g., speech and language delays)
• Mental retardation or low IQ
• Problems with daily living
• Poor reasoning and judgment skills
• Sleep and sucking disturbances in infancy

Reactive Attachment Disorder:

• Attachment Disorder Identify Early Warning Signs atCenter4FamilyDevelop.com
• Reactive Attachment Disorder Treatment age-specific checklists are available at ReactiveAttachmentDisorderTreatment.com

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD):

• Visit the Sensory Processing Disorder Network/Foundation website and their SPD Network Resource Page
• Website exclusively about Sensory Processing Disorder at Sensory-Processing-Disorder.com
• Sensory Integration by ComeUnity Adoption, Special Needs and Parenting Support This site has a series of articles you can download and read. This whole site is pretty cool, just poke around and see whats on there.
• ComeUnity's page to links on Sensory Integration
• Visit the Out-of-Sync Child website for lots of information and resources. Order the Out of Sync Child has fun for lots of safe activities. And the Out of Sync Child Resource page
• Visit the SensoryResources.com Resource Page for lots of other sites

Language Development in Internationally Adopted Children:

• Research from TowsonUniveristy

Looking for something else?

• Try this site: Family Village Research Guide for Families

Toys that address SPD and Developmental issues:

• Article about Sensory Integration Tools and Toys at SpecialChildren.About.com
• Toys for SPD available at SpecialChildren.About.com make sure you check out the categories of their items on the left side of the page
• Order stuff from SensoryResources.com
• Shop for equipment for children with SPD at SouthPawEnterprises.com
• Toys for SPD, therapy and educations toys at SelfHelpWarehouse.com make sure you check out the categories of their items on the left side of the page.
• Find sources for sensory products on the Out of Sync Child Resource page