| Today most Scientists & Adoption Agents
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| | was to cater to the wishes of the future
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| are of the opinion that parents should
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| | adoptive parents. Once at an average age
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| inform their adopted children as soon as
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| | of 11 years and 11 months the adoptive
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| possible about their status. The issue
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| | children understood that the Agency first
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| should thereafter be discussed more often
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| | and foremost acts on behalf and in the
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| at various points in time to give the
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| | interest of the well being of the
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| child/children a chance to grasp their
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| | children put up for adoption, therefore
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| special status and the opportunity to ask
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| | screening the potential adoptive parents.
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| questions. Only an early introduction to
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| | Brodzinsky and his colleagues research
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| the subject will give parents and
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| | clearly shows that the understanding of
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| children a chance to develop an open and
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| | an adoptive child with reference to its
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| trusting relationship between each other.
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| | adoption develops in predictable phases.
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| There are two sides to the process of
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| | In the beginning the knowledge is still
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| informing a child about it's adoptive
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| | very general and slightly diffuse but
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| status: First of all the information has
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| | becomes more sophisticated with time.
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| to be passed on to the child and secondly
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| | This knowledge is also associated with a
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| the child has to understand the
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| | growing awareness of the connection with
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| information it has been given.
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| | social organisations and the relating
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| It is more than likely that a 4 year old
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| | laws.
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| child can be made to refer to itself as
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| | The research indicates how difficult it
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| "adopted" and further tell that it has
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| | must be for a child under the age of 13
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| grown in another woman's womb before
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| | or 14 to process the fact of having a
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| being adopted by it's present parents.
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| | dual set of parents. Younger children
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| This however does not go to say that the
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| | don't grasp this concept at all, slightly
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| child has understood what an adoption
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| | older children find it hard to fit the
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| really means. More so it has to be
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| | characteristics of adoptive parents into
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| assumed that due to the child's use of
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| | their idea of a family concept. Eight
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| very specific vocabulary related to the
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| | and nine year olds know that parents and
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| issue of adoption the parents are lured
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| | children are blood related. Adoptive
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| into the false belief that their child
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| | children of this particular age group
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| fully understands the concept of
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| | therefore question which family they are
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| adoption. By doing so, the cognitive
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| | really part of - their biological parents
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| capability of a small child is highly
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| | or their adoptive parents. Bearing in
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| overestimated.
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| | mind that children of this age group (8-9
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| It takes approximately 10 years for an
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| | year olds) have not yet understood the
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| adopted child to fully grasp the
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| | concept of adoption including all its
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| information about its adoption which they
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| | implications it is not surprising that
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| have been given at the age of 3 or 4.
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| | they feel insecure of their position
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| This knowledge was the result of the
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| | within the adoptive family and voice a
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| scientific research by BRODZINSKY and his
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| | lot of questions regarding their
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| colleagues during the "Rutgers Adoption
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| | heritage.
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| Project" (1986). The scientists examined
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| | During a further examination of 156
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| 100 adopted children in comparison to 100
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| | adopted children aged 6-11 years old
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| non-adopted children. There were 20
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| | Brodzinsky and his colleagues (1986)
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| children in each age group: 4-5 years
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| | found out that a child's comprehension of
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| old, 6-7 years old, 8-9 years old, 10-11
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| | its adoption is neither influenced by
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| years old and 12-13 years old. All
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| | structure of the adoptive family (only
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| adoptive children were adopted within the
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| | child, biological siblings, adopted
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| first 2 ½ years of their life. Their
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| | siblings), their social status, the
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| understanding of the adoption was
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| | previous history of the child nor its age
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| evaluated on the basis of a 6 grade
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| | or condition of health at the time of
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| chart.
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| | adoption. This means that the
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| Although the 4-5 year old children had
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| | comprehension develops through an intra
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| all been informed about their adoption
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| | psychological process by combining the
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| most of them did not have any
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| | newly received information with other
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| understanding of the meaning of an
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| | relevant knowledge of family structure,
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| adoption (grade 0). At an average age of
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| | social institutions, human motives,
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| 5 years and 6 months most examined
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| | separation, loss, - etc. This Process is
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| children either assumed that all children
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| | therefore imbedded in the overall
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| in general were born to their biological
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| | cognitive development of the child.
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| parents or that adoption and giving birth
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| | The results of this research clearly show
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| are the same (grade 1). At the age of 7
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| | that parents and adoption agents
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| years and 2 months children could
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| | generally expect the adoptive children to
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| distinguish between adoption and birth.
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| | understand the process of an adoption too
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| They viewed it as 2 different means of
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| | early. In return they are surprised when
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| becoming a part of a family. The
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| | primary school children ask a lot of
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| relationship between the adoptive parents
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| | questions regarding their biological
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| and the child was described by the
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| | parents and their heritage, the reasons
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| children to be a permanent one. However
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| | for being put up for adoption as well as
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| they could not articulate a reason for
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| | being insecure in terms of their adoptive
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| the permanence of this relationship other
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| | parents love and sometimes show signs of
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| than voicing the assumption that "The
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| | sadness and depression. Parents and
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| child is now owned by its adoptive
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| | experts do not understand these
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| parents" (grade 2).
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| | behavioural patterns and often wrongly
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| At an average age of 8 years and 8 months
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| | judge it as negative although it is quite
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| the children were not so confident about
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| | normal, age appropriate and probably
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| the stability of the Parent-Child
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| | inevitable. It is a sign that the
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| Relationship anymore. They believed that
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| | children are trying to achieve a better
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| their biological parents would either
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| | understanding of the adoption. In order
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| claim them back one day or that their
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| | to do so they have to process the loss of
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| adoptive parents could also decide to
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| | their biological parents and the
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| give them away at some point in time
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| | resulting emotions (sadness) at this age.
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| (grade 3). At 10 years and 4 months of
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| | This is being complicated by the lack of
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| age the children were confident in the
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| | knowledge about their biological parents.
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| lastingness of the relationship between
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| | Consequently it is vital that adoptive
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| adoptive parents and child again. With
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| | parents make themselves aware of the fact
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| regards to this newly found confidence
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| | that adopted children will comprehend the
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| they even referred to professionals in a
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| | adoption with all its implications not
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| position of authority such as Judges,
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| | until they have entered their second
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| Lawyers & Medical Doctors (grade 4). It
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| | decade of life. They (adoptive parents )
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| was not until the average age of 12 years
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| | can help the child to achieve a positive
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| and 5 months that the adopted children
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| | and extensive comprehension of the
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| understood that an adoption on a legal
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| | adoption by openly and honestly
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| basis of specific laws incorporated the
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| | discussing the issue instead of avoiding
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| transfer of parental rights and duties
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| | it. It is equally important that they
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| from the biological parents to the
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| | are also aware of the difference between
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| adoptive parents (Grade 5).
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| | adoptive families and biological families
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| The adopted children were aware of an
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| | further understanding the special status
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| Adoption Agency being involved in their
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| | of their own family. Primarily they
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| adoption at an average age of 8 years and
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| | should not overstrain the child and
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| 1 month but did not know the actual task
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| | confront it with unrealistic expectations
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| of the Agency. Approximately 10 months
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| | but should give the child the time it
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| later they understood that this
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| | needs for the long lasting cognitive
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| organisation plays a vital role in the
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| | development process which will conclude
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| process. In most cases the first
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| | in a full comprehension of the adoption.
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| assumption was that the Agency's purpose
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