ADOPTION MEDICINE: Special Considerations in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and Young Adult Medical Care

Regardless of early life experience, adolescence can be a rocky road for any young person, but adopted youth are likely to face additional challenges for reasons discussed in this chapter. The pediatrician is likely to be the first point of contact because of a long-standing relationship of providing medical care to the family. Reviewed are the reasons it is critical that the pediatrician see the teen or young adult through the lens of adoptive status, as it impacts every aspect of the adopted patient’s life. The need for adoption sensitivity and use of adoption-sensitive questions is emphasized when pediatricians and physicians specializing in adolescent and young adult medicine (e.g., college health) discuss medical history (or lack of it) of the biological family, sexual activity and birth control, concerns about inheritable diseases, and privacy concerns vis-à-vis family and significant others. This chapter concludes with the importance of the physician having familiarity with special resources, such as psychotherapists and psychiatrists who are knowledgeable about the psychology of being adopted, and testing psychologists who are trained in adoption-specific neuropsychological testing.