Transitions

Adopting a child from another country means the child is going through a huge transition-even children who have been in good foster homes. Unlike chil­dren who are adopted in the United States, these children are not only changing caregivers, but they are also losing the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of their own country. While you are in your child’s country, you may notice that your child gravitates toward those who look like him and speak his language.

Initially, one of the most difficult transitions for a child who is already talking is changing languages. You can initially communicate with your child by learning basic words for eating, sleeping, and going potty. Young children will easily catch on to the new language. In fact, many children do not want to speak their original language and want to learn their adopted parents’ language. Older children find it more difficult to grasp a new language but will likely adapt quite quickly.

Many families’ main concern in adopting international children is how will the children learn a new language. The best predictor that your child will learn Eng­lish or another language quickly is his proficiency in his first language. Children in institutions often lack language skills since the children often use hand gestures and eye contact to communicate.

The loss of the first language before the new language develops leaves the child without any language, and during this time, the child can appear to regress. For younger children, this is hardly an issue because the child will have a few years before school starts to learn the new language. Even though young school age children lose their native language in less than six months, learning and mastering a new language can take years.

A typical six-year-old in the United States understands more than 20,000 Eng­lish words. Therefore, an internationally adopted child who is five years old would need to learn fifty-four new words every day to catch up to a six-year-old born in the United States. If the child is given two years to “catch up,” he would still need to learn twenty-seven new words each day by seven years old. In the meantime, his friends born here have added 5,000 words to their vocabulary. Therefore, to expect an older internationally adopted child to be proficient in English in a year or two is unrealistic. If a child does not acquire language skills, he can then underachieve in school. If your child is having difficulty with language, it is wise to have the child receive speech therapy lessons. All children under thirty-six months old are eligible at no charge if services are needed, regardless of your income. Most children over thirty-six months old would receive therapy through the school system.

For the older internationally adopted child, learning a new language is more of a challenge. He will go through the same process of having to acquire a new language, but a younger child has more time to “catch up.” In addition, the older internationally adopted child is placed into school and social settings in which more language skills are required, for which he may not be equipped.