Workshop Information

Physical Growth in Young Children Randomized to Foster Vs. Institutional Care
Dana Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (8:15 am - 9:30 am)

Growth failure is a common, if not universal, finding in young children raised within institutional care settings. Children placed within a foster or adoptive home generally reverse this trajectory of poor growth, but little is known about the degree of improvement, time course, or the influence of age, gender or starting point. This workshop will discuss a study undertaken to further understand this phenomenon of post-placement catch-up growth.

An Intervention Model for Promoting Healthy Emotional Development in the Internationally Adopted Child
Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D., Children's Research Triangle
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (9:30 am - 10:30 am)

Children adopted from overseas have often spent their formative years in institutions or foster families that are understaffed and under-stimulating. The majority of these children also come from backgrounds plagued by poverty, and in many cases, social ills such as alcoholism, substance abuse and prostitution. The purpose of this workshop is to present an intervention model that promotes healthy emotional development in internationally adopted children. Participants will learn to describe the structural and functional changes that occur in brains of children with prenatal alcohol exposure or early deprivation, as well as instruments for assessment and a trans-disciplinary treatment plan.

Developmental and Behavioral Performance of Internationally Adopted Preschoolers/International Adoptees as Teenagers and Young Adults
Linda Tirella, OTR/L, MS, MHA, International Adoption Clinic New England Medical Center; and Laurie Miller, M.D., International Adoption Clinic New England Medical Center
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (10:45 am - 11:30 am)

Linda Tirella's portion of the workshop details a follow-up study of four-year-olds who have lived with their adopted families for one to three years. The study assessed language, cognitive, fine and gross motor skills, as well as executive function, attention and sensory processing ability. The latter half of the session, facilitated by Laurie Miller, will delve into a follow-up study to better understand how being adopted relates to the way teenagers develop and behave. Both parents and teens completed surveys related to behaviors, social skills, quality of life, and self esteem.

The Nature and Nurture of the Brain
Julian Davies, M.D., Center for Adoption Medicine, University of Washington
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (11:30 am - 12:45 am)

The “Decade of the Brain” came and went, bringing many advances in neuro-imaging, and better understanding of the effects of prenatal drug and alcohol exposures, malnutrition, maltreatment, neglect and the stress on the developing brain. What can the latest research tell us about how these all-too-frequent influences affect the neurodevelopment of internationally adopted children? This presentation will explore how nature and nurture interact to shape brain development, the neurobiology of relationships and behavior, and how brain plasticity impacts risk and resilience, with an emphasis on avenues for intervention.

International Adoption Basics for Adoption Agencies: Useful Medical and Developmental Information
Jill Barnhart, MS, OTR/L, UAB International Adoption Clinic, and Elaine Schulte, M.D., The Cleveland Clinic
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (1:45 pm - 3:15 pm)

This workshop will address both the unique medical needs and typical developmental differences associated with international adoptees. More than 50% of children adopted internationally have an undiagnosed medical condition at the time of their initial evaluation in the United States, regardless of age, sex, or country of origin. The more primary care providers understand these unique medical needs, the better they can provide early treatment and intervention while clarifying their role in caring for international adoptees. The workshop will focus on topics such as medical record review, parent preparations and immunizations before delving into specific developmental differences often found during post-adoptive medical screening. In addition to learning variations in children’s gross, fine and oral motor skills, participants will become aware of available resources and treatment options.

Institutional Autism: A Myth or Reality
Boris Gindis, Ph.D., Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment and Remediation
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (1:45 pm - 3:15 pm)

Autism is a behaviorally defined, neurologically based disorder that can be diagnosed in children before their fifth birthday. Conversely, “institutional autism” is not a medical diagnosis, but merely a description of behavioral patterns similar in appearance to autism. Unfortunately, it is difficult to assess whether children displaying signs of “institutional autism” truly possess the neurological aberrations of the condition or rather, are experiencing attachment issues, child depression, or the language attrition often associated with international adoptees. This presentation will review a methodology of differential diagnosis that can be applied by mental health professionals, as well as practical recommendations for the remediation of “autistic-like” behaviors.

Myths and Misconceptions in International Adoption Medicine
Paul J. Lee, M.D., Winthrop-University Hospital Pediatric Infectious Diseases and International Adoption Program
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (3:30 pm – 5:00 pm)

The amount of information that the Internet and email makes available to parents, adoption agencies and physicians has actually made our lives more difficult and confusing. Stories, rumors and half-truths are disseminated and perpetuated so quickly that they become “established fact” in the blink of an eye. The purpose of this presentation is to look beyond the hype by addressing common misconceptions and areas of confusion in international adoption medicine. The talk is geared for everyone who has had to deal with parents’ questions, the concern of co-workers, medical review terminology issues and other cross-talk resulting from the Internet.

A Comprehensive Model of Care for Internationally Adopted Children with Craniofacial Deformities and Feeding Issues
Edward M. Kolb, M.D., International Adoption Clinic—Boys Town National Research Hospital, and Julie Keck, M.D., Riley Hospital for Children
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 (3:30 pm - 5:00pm)

Increasing numbers of internationally adopted children are known to have one or more physical anomalies. Frequently, obvious deformities of the head, face and associated structure cause children to be abandoned or placed for adoption in foreign countries with limited medical resources and traditional social approaches to disfigured children. There is great need to prepare American families considering adoption through evaluation of the prospective adopted child and education of the medical resources necessary to raise a child with a craniofacial deformity. Furthermore, medical professionals should take a comprehensive team approach to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up to minimize effects on speech, language and education. In addition, a large number of internationally adopted children experience issues related to feeding and growth. These issues can me multi-factorial, stemming from environment, culture and medical disorders—even behavioral factors once an adoption is complete. In fact, a child that experiences pain or fear associated with eating will often miss a vital opportunity to connect to their adoptive parents. This workshop will evaluate common feeding issues and methods of treatment in order to make meal time a more mutually pleasing experience.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Janice Jacobs, Ambassador, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State; and Victoria J. Kelly, Psy.D., LCSW, MHA, Children and Families First
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (9:00 am - 10:30 am)

The first presentation will be made by Ambassador Janice Jacobs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from the U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Jacobs’ foreign policy interests and experience include a broad range of issues pertinent to child welfare, including human rights and immigration. Her address will cover pertinent issues affecting foreign government’s ongoing relationship with the United States in terms of adoption, including implementation of the Hague, increased media focus and recent concerns about corruption in countries such as Guatemala and Vietnam. As the Director of Clinical and Prevention Services for Children and Families First, Dr. Victoria Kelly will bring a different perspective to the second portion of the keynote address. Working for a human services organization that assists families with counseling and foster care in addition to adoption services, Ms. Kelly will present tactical models for addressing the needs of children and families post-placement.

1A: Panel Discussion of Waiting Child Advocacy and Family Recruitment Best Practices
Spring Hecht, MSW, World Association for Children and Parents; Teri Bell, Americans for International Aid and Adoption; Martha Osborne, Rainbowkids.com; Abbie Smith, LCSW, Holt International Children’s Services; Peg Studaker, Children’s Home Society and Family Services
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (10:45 pm - 12:00 pm)

The climate of international adoption is ever-changing. With every new development, professionals are forced to look for innovative ways of finding families for children with special needs, especially when international counterparts tighten up restrictions. Many lessons and best practices have been identified over the years by those in the field, several of whom will present their experiences and suggestions in this panel presentation. Topics include family recruitment and advocacy, adoption policies for waiting children and the protection of children’s rights in connection to confidential information.

1B: Managing Transformation: Creating A New Organization Without Losing the Old
Thomas DiFilipo, Joint Council on International Children’s Services
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (10:45 pm - 12:00 pm)

In a field where nearly every day seems to bring major news, it only makes sense that adoption service providers must adjust their organizational structure to accommodate change. There is a careful balance to be struck, however—one that embraces a shift in organizational consciousness and culture while remaining true to an overarching mission. This workshop will focus on the decision-making process behind organizational transformation, including a mechanism to determine the appropriate timing of such actions and tactics for disseminating new standards and procedures.

1C: Developing and Implementing Simple, Effective Collaborative Humanitarian Projects for Orphans Living in Institutions Abroad
Jane Aronson, M.D., Worldwide Orphans Foundation
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (10:45 pm - 12:00 pm)

This workshop will detail effective humanitarian aid projects organized by the Worldwide Orphans Foundation, which has had programs in 10 countries. Several different types of programs will be discussed, including the following: a volunteer model where professionals do needs assessments for children and provide services to them directly; oversight programs where in-country medical professionals and social workers train orphanage staff to deliver daily care and implement health policies; and stipend-supported care provided by retired adults who are trained by in-country psychologists and social workers. Participants will walk away with an understanding of the benefits and challenges of each scenario, and a greater understanding of which is appropriate in a given environment.

2A: Practical Planning/Creative Resources for Required Adoption Training
Joan McNamara, MS, Hopscotch Adoptions
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm)

Getting new families connected with required international adoption education and training can be a rewarding and frustrating experience. This is particularly true when families live at a distance from the placing agencies or in the case of smaller programs that must be extra resourceful to convey necessary messages to adoptive parents. This workshop, based on research and three decades of training experience, will explore practical, yet creative approaches to parent training that can meet both Hague standards and the availability of agency resources, along with crucial family needs.

2B: Strategic Thinking and Planning: Creating a Plan that is Truly Strategic
Paul D. Meyer, Tecker Consultants
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm)

In this session, the presenter will detail best practices in strategic thinking and planning gathered across his work with more than 100 non-profit organizations, institutions and corporations. Participants will be introduced to a successful model and practice for aligning their organization’s work with its overarching goals and mission. They will also learn about attributes and tools needed for successful implementation.

2C: Summer Hosting Programs: How are Kidsave's Older Adopted Children and Their Families Doing?
Susan Blake, MA, Ph.D., George Washington University; and Lauren Reicher Gordon, Kidsave International
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm)

Kidsave Summer Miracles brings older orphans to the United States from foreign orphanages for visits with families. Nearly 1,500 children have participated in summer programs over the past nine years, and other agencies have launched similar programs. However, few studies exist that provide information about the adjustment of older orphans and the families who adopt them. This presentation will detail the results of a survey given to 580 families who adopted children from Eastern Europe and participated in the Summer Miracles Program from 1999 to 2003. This research will be used to better understand how children adopted at an older age are adjusting to life with their families and to help other families make an informed decision about adopting an older child.

3A: Keeping Hope Eternal When Dreams and Reality Collide
Janice Goldwater, LCSWC, Adoptions Together
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (2:30 pm - 3:30 pm)

Adopting internationally often means that parents choose a child with limited information about his or her cognitive and psychological state. This presentation will explore what happens when the dreams of parenting and the reality of the needs of the child collide. Participants will explore how to interpret child behavior from an attachment perspective and thereby, give professionals the tools to help parents better understand why children act the way they do. It will also cover interventions for professionals to help parents gain awareness into their own functioning and feel more competent in managing their child’s behavior.

3B: The Legal Evolution of Claims for "Wrongful Adoption" and Methods to Protect Your Agency from Exposure to Such Claims
Deborah E. Spivack, Esq., The Law Office of Deborah E. Spivack
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (2:30 pm - 3:30 pm)

This presentation will detail the evolution of claims for wrongful adoption, as well as ways that agencies can aim to prevent and/or address claims from liability for wrongful adoption based on fraud or negligence. The session will explore the definition of such claims and provide a brief history so that all attendees can participate regardless of their previous legal knowledge. It will also focus on the litigation of a claim for “wrongful adoption” and review documentation such as contract provisions, waivers of liability and referral acceptance paperwork to provide guidance regarding agency policies and procedures.

3C: Preparing for a Motherland Visit
Joy Lieberthal, LCSW; Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children; and Kate DeLosso, Travel Counsellors
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (2:30 pm - 3:30 pm)

For more than 15 years, adoptees have made the pilgrimage back to their birth country, whether on their own or with their families. This return to the “Motherland” carries with it many complexities ranging from travel arrangements to deciding whether or not to visit a child’s orphanage. This presentation will serve as a paradigm for agencies and organizations to aid adoptees and families as they prepare for this trip—both logistically and emotionally. Topics discussed will include pre-trip consultations to understand family expectations and post-trip visits to gather information for future clients. Please note that presenters will focus on a visit to a birth country that does not include search for birth family members, as each country is unique in its approach to search and reunion.

4A: Strategies and Technologies for Efficient Communication During "Tough Times"
Carol Wahl, MPH, Children's Home Society and Family Services, and Molly Rochon, Children's Home Society and Family Services
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (3:45 pm - 5:00 pm)

Serving as Program Managers for an agency’s China and Eastern European programs, the presenters of this workshop have extensive experience communicating with clients during ambiguous time with very little “hard” information to share. They will provide tips on the types of communication they found most helpful and offer live demonstrations of available technologies. Issues explored will include the pros and cons of different types of communication and whether there is such a thing as “too much” talk.

4B: Understanding and Improving Agency Communication
Richard Pearlman, MSW, Family Resource Center
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (3:45 pm - 5:00 pm)

Improving communication within an organization increases staff morale and effectiveness while enhancing the ability to mitigate client anxiety. This session will help individuals improve and deepen their appreciation for their agency’s internal communication process through a hands-on simulation used by organizational consultants around the globe. This simulation duplicates a typical organization’s structure and hierarchy to generate greater understanding about roles and the tactics that create effective communication within existing systems. Participants will gather enough information during this seminar to recreate the simulation at their own agencies.

4C: Reflections on Ethiopian Adoptions: An Ethiopian Daughter and Her White American Mom Talk Together
Maureen Evans, MA, adoptive parent; and Aselefech Evans
Thursday, April 10, 2008 (3:45 pm - 5:00 pm)

There is little doubt that adoptions from Africa will be an important area of the field in the coming years. With increasing attention, however, comes additional concerns behind the “trendiness” and media perceptions of these adoptions, as well as the possible volatile combination of naiveté and good intentions among prospective adoptive parents. This presentation will combine personal stories from an adoptive mother and daughter and statistical information about transracial adoption (specifically, white parents and black children) in addition to realities about racism in America. The presenters hope their session will be a reminder, if not a wake-up call, to professionals about the importance of preparation regarding race in adoption.

Caring for Orphans: Adoption and the Other 99%
Tom Davis, Children's HopeCrest
Friday, April 11, 2008 (9:00 am - 10:15 am)

Families in the United States adopt over 25,000 children each year from foreign countries. The startling fact, however, is that well over 99% of orphaned children are never adopted by anyone. When adoption is not possible for whatever reason, every effort must be made to help a child overcome their abandonment, develop healthy relationships and support networks, and learn skills for living independently. This presentation will highlight the speaker’s belief in addressing the situation through long-term relationships formed by national leaders and supported by Americans in a variety of ways. It will also present solutions for how adoption agencies and adoptive parents can extend their care for orphans beyond the children who can be adopted.

5A: Is Adoption PC? Anti-Intercountry Adoption Trends in the Media, Cyberspace and the Adoption Community
Susan Cox, Holt International Children’s Services, Inc., and Kathy Sacco, Family and Children’s Agency
Friday, April 11, 2008 (11:15 am - 12:30 pm)

Historically, adoption has been portrayed as a way of protecting and saving children from inadequate environments. Recently, there has been unprecedented criticism of intercountry adoption as an ethical practice. These criticisms have manifested themselves in the form of anti-adoption groups, websites, blogs, scholarly critiques and media representations. This presentation will provide an overview of anti-intercountry adoption trends and explore their substance and methods of dissemination. The presentation will include the emergence of the adult adoptee community and their impact on intercountry adoption. Finally, it will offer participants recommendations for responding to these message in the areas of public relations, policy and practice.

5B: Preserving and Retaining International Program Staff
Kim Bernstein, MSW, LICSW, Wide Horizons for Children
Friday, April 11, 2008 (11:15 am - 12:30 pm)

The day-to-day demands of working with families through the adoption process can take its toll on workers, particularly as they continue to balance the demands of families and overseas partners while keeping their focus on the best interest of children. This presentation will offer a panel of adoption professionals to discuss strategies for retaining staff. Some of these tactics will focus on adjusting client expectations (e.g., readjusting timeframes and selectively choosing which information to share), as well as internal methods for maintaining staff happiness (e.g., setting up mechanisms for supervisor support or dividing work among staff members).

5C: Parenting for Attachment, Part II
Georgia Leonard, MSW, The Family Network, Inc.
Friday, April 11, 2008 (11:15 am - 12:30 pm)

6A: Taking Advantage of Post-Placement Visits to Teach Real-Time Adoptive Parenting Skills
Judy Stigger, LCSW, The Cradle, and Dori Fujii, The Cradle
Friday, April 11, 2008 (1:45 pm - 3:00 pm)

6B: ABC’s of Grantwriting
Rebecca Utley, CFRE, Hope Cottage Pregnancy and Adoption Center
Friday, April 11, 2008 (1:45 pm - 3:00 pm)



	*Annual Conference*
Join JCICS Membership Directory Membership Policies Complaint Policy Members Only Site		International Adoption Country Specific Information Frequently Asked Questions Complaint Policy