Romanian Adoption: Parents' Dreams, Nightmares, and Realities

In Canada, 1,013 visas were issued to Romanian children between January 1990 and April 1991 to enter the country as landed immigrants. Many of these children come from placements where resources for early care were extremely limited. They provide a sample of children at risk for developmental delay. The question of whether such children can overcome their early deprivations has implications not only for Romanian adopted children, but also for others from similar cirumstances. This study reports findings from a survey questionnaire completed by 105 families. The results reflect the parents' perceptions of the adoption experience, the condition of the child on adoption and the parents' subsequent developmental concerns, and the children's progress. Parents' perceived needs and concerns are reported and implications for adoption policy and social and health services are discussed.