Recently published by New Horizon Press is a book titled, Adopting Older Children: A Practical Guide to Adopting and Parenting Children Over Age Four. It is by Stephanie Bosco-Ruggiero, Gloria Russo Wassell, and Victor Groza. With 25,000 children aging out of foster care in the United States each year, the authors provide answers to common concerns about adopting older children, in the hopes that potential adoptive parents will go forward with their inclination to adopt.
This easy to navigate and understand book suggests ways to deal with typical symptoms that appear in older adopted children after years of neglect and abuse. Not uncommon are hoarding and gorging. The practical suggestions in this book include specific ways to show understanding — rather than punishing the youth — and how to wean the child from hoarding or gorging. Parents can do this while providing a secure, loving environment wherein the child learns trust and acceptance.
The book also offers ideas on how to decide if adopting an older child is right for you, as well as finding more information and support once you have your child home. According to My Central Jersey, one of the best resources is “other adoptive people who have done this [and] gone through it.”
Because of the complicated feelings of a child who has been neglected and/or abused, the authors recommend professional care for the children as well as counseling for the parents.
The full book review is available here.
