Foster Care and Adoption – and the Struggle with Learning Disabilities

By Carol Muse Evans

Our world is in a season where it feels as if the number of children struggling to read and to learn is multiplying exponentially. The struggle for children in foster care and going through adoption is even greater statistically. Recently, we talked with Karen Belcher, Co-Founder of Alabama Game Changers, a 501c3 nonprofit neurodevelopmental medica center located in Hoover, about learning disabilities, particularly for children of foster care and adoption.

DYSLEXIA & OTHER LEARNING DISABILITIES

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects the ability to read and process words,” says Belcher. “It is the most common issue that we see in our center.”

Dyslexia can be a disability in isolation or it can be accompanied by any of a number of other challenges, including writing, spelling, math, sequencing, processing, word finding, etc., according to Belcher. The incidence of dyslexia in the general population is between 10-20 percent. However, what may surprise you is that this number increases significantly in the adoption/foster care population.

According to Belcher, more than half of the children who come to the center seeking help are adoptees. “They tend to have more complex learning challenges as well. It is rare that we see dyslexia in isolation in these children,” she says.

Belcher is no stranger to adoption or learning disabilities. She is a 35-year veteran pediatric nurse and adoptive parent. Her daughter has spent the better part of her 17 years overcoming learning challenges. “Adoptive/foster parents know that when they come to Alabama Game Changers for help, they will work with professionals who truly understand the complexity of their child’s need,” Belcher explains.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the incidence of learning disabilities in the adoptee/foster care population is double that of the general population. Pediatric healthcare professionals fear that the number is actually much higher. Dr. Jennifer Chambers (also an adoptive parent) and founder of The Adoption Clinic at UAB & Children’s Hospital in Alabama, says, “At the Adoption Clinic, we do assessments on children who are newly adopted. We also evaluate children who have been with their families for years but are struggling in some way emotionally or educationally. Because these children usually have a history of multiple transitions, foster care, orphanage life and/or neglect, they are significantly at risk for learning disabilities,” Chambers points out.

“The brain is growing rapidly in the first years of life. Any adverse events during that time can negatively impact the way a child learns,” Chambers continues. “At our clinic (The Adoption Clinic) we screen for learning differences routinely. While I do not know the numbers exactly, it seems like 50 percent of these children have some type of learning difference that needs to be addressed prior to them succeeding in a school setting. If these learning differences are not addressed, the child is prone to development anxiety, depression or difficult behaviors that impact their relationships both at home and in school. These learning differences must be addressed for the child to reach his or her full potential.”

There are a number of factors that contribute to the struggles seen in these children. Research indicates that elevated cortisol (stress hormone) alone in a biological mom, while pregnant, can interfere with brain devel opment and connectivity, Belcher points out. “Most of the biological mothers of these children were under significant stress in their pregnancy. When you couple that with separation after birth, orphanage life, possible exposure to substances (before or after birth) such as lead or harmful organisms in drinking water, lack of one-on-one caregiving, you can see how a developing brain can be impacted,” says Belcher.