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Tracking the progress of Romanian orphans
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October 15, 2003
The latest results of ongoing Simon Fraser University research into the overall development of Canadian-adopted Romanian orphans reveals that the longer the time spent in an orphanage, the more severe the orphans’ attention difficulties.
"Forty-three percent demonstrate clinical, or borderline clinical, attention and self-regulatory difficulties," says SFU PhD student Karyn Audet, who conducted the latest study for her master of arts degree in counselling psychology. She cites the orphans’ problems with controlling impulsiveness and activity levels and an inability to sustain attention.
The 36 children participating in the study, who spent eight months to four years in Romanian orphanages, are now 12 years old. They were compared to a control group of 25 Romanian orphans who spent less than four months in an institution and to 42 Canadian-born, non-adopted children.
Only five percent of the Canadian-born non-adopted children and just 16 percent of early-adopted Romanian orphans exhibited similar difficulties.
It is striking, says Audet, that despite considerations such as genetics and personality, the over-riding factor in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders appears to be the length of time the orphans were institutionalized and the quality of their home environment. The orphans whose Canadian home environment had the most appropriate levels of nurturing and stimulation were the least likely to exhibit the disorders.
"This study really looks at the effects of not having attachment, not having caregivers and demonstrates how having wonderful parents and caregivers later on in life can mitigate those early deficits," says Audet.
"This study teaches us to look at the other factors going on in a child’s life," she adds, "such as early experiences and family factors that may be contributing to difficulties and to not rely solely on medication such as Ritalin when children exhibit hyperactivity and other attention-deficit disorders."
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"Forty-three percent demonstrate clinical, or borderline clinical, attention and self-regulatory difficulties," says SFU PhD student Karyn Audet, who conducted the latest study for her master of arts degree in counselling psychology. She cites the orphans’ problems with controlling impulsiveness and activity levels and an inability to sustain attention.
The 36 children participating in the study, who spent eight months to four years in Romanian orphanages, are now 12 years old. They were compared to a control group of 25 Romanian orphans who spent less than four months in an institution and to 42 Canadian-born, non-adopted children.
Only five percent of the Canadian-born non-adopted children and just 16 percent of early-adopted Romanian orphans exhibited similar difficulties.
It is striking, says Audet, that despite considerations such as genetics and personality, the over-riding factor in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders appears to be the length of time the orphans were institutionalized and the quality of their home environment. The orphans whose Canadian home environment had the most appropriate levels of nurturing and stimulation were the least likely to exhibit the disorders.
"This study really looks at the effects of not having attachment, not having caregivers and demonstrates how having wonderful parents and caregivers later on in life can mitigate those early deficits," says Audet.
"This study teaches us to look at the other factors going on in a child’s life," she adds, "such as early experiences and family factors that may be contributing to difficulties and to not rely solely on medication such as Ritalin when children exhibit hyperactivity and other attention-deficit disorders."
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