Vision and hearing deficits and associations with parent-reported behavioral and developmental problems in international adoptees.

To determine the occurrence of vision and hearing deficits in international adoptees and their associations with emotional, behavioral and cognitive problems. The Minnesota International Adoption Project (MnIAP) was a 556-item survey that was mailed to 2,969 parents who finalized an international adoption in Minnesota (MN) between January 1990 and December 1998 and whose children were between 4 and 18 years-old at the time of the survey. Families returned surveys for 1,906 children (64%); 1,005 had complete data for analyses.

Adoption as an intervention for institutionally reared children: HPA functioning and developmental status.

Institutional care, particularly when experienced early in life, is associated with delays in social and emotional development that often persist years after adoption. It has been hypothesized that compromise of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis due to adverse condition in institutions is a mediator of later emotional and behavioral problems. The first goal of our project was to investigate whether improvements in the social and emotional environment are associated with changes in HPA axis function.

Iron deficiency after arrival is associated with general cognitive and behavioral impairment in post-institutionalized children adopted from Eastern Europe.

To investigate the role of iron deficiency in general cognitive and behavioral development in post-institutionalized (PI) children during the early post-adoption period. PI children (N = 57) adopted from Eastern Europe or Central Asia (9-46 months of age) were seen at baseline around 1 month after arrival into the US and at follow-up 6 months later. Measures included anthropometry, iron status, the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-R (TBAQ-R), the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, and examiner-rated behaviors during testing.

Determinants of catch-up growth in international adoptees from eastern europe.

Children raised in orphanages frequently experience growth suppression due to multiple risk factors. Placing such children in more nurturing environments through adoption leads to significant catch-up growth (CUG), the determinants of which are not entirely understood. The goal of this study was to perform an auxological evaluation and examine the degree and correlates of CUG in international adoptees.

Auxological evaluation and determinants of growth failure at the time of adoption in Eastern European adoptees.

Aim: To identify factors contributing to growth failure in international adoptees (IAs) from Eastern Europe.

Study Design: 138 IAs from Eastern Europe, 6-59 months old, were evaluated within 3 weeks of US arrival. Complete history, anthropometry, and serum for growth factors were obtained.

Iron deficiency in international adoptees from Eastern Europe.

Objective: To assess iron deficiency (ID) in international adoptees after adoption.

Study Design: Participants (n = 37) were adopted into the United States from Eastern Europe before they were 24 months of age. Baseline (within 1 month post-adoption) and follow-up (6 months post-adoption) assessments included routine post-adoption clinical evaluations, anthropometrics, dietary intakes, and iron measures (hemogram and serum analysis).

Predictors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in international adoptees.

Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the factors that are associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in international adoptees.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 880 international adoptees who presented to the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota between 1986 and 2001. Five tuberculin units of purified protein derivative were placed intradermally on the left forearm.