Newsletter
#36 for Internationally Adopting Parents
October 22, 2006
PAL Center
Inc.
|
Russian Speaking |
|
Upcoming Conference In Arizona
|
|
Copyright@2006
Latest Articles
from the
International Adoption Articles Directory
In this issue of the Newsletter we introduce a new member of the Bilingual Extension group at BGCenter Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., ABPP, Diplomate, American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Professor of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Goldberg is a neuropsychologist, scientist, author, and educator, internationally renowned for his clinical work, research and writings.
At the same time we are happy to announce that a new service
Coordinated Neuro-Psycho-Educational Assessment
is now available at the BGCenter for children, exhibiting symptoms of significant cognitive impairments (ex.: memory, comprehension, attention, language), behavioral problems and executive deficit, and/or emotional disturbance. The service includes both neuropsychological and psycho-educational assessments, conducted as separate but coordinated evaluations, and provides a detailed analysis of the neurological impairment in question as well as remedial programming and school-related educational recommendations for the child. A team of two most experienced in their respective domains professionals Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg (neuropsychology) and Dr. Boris Gindis (developmental and educational psychology) will combine their efforts to work with you and your child to determine the roots of the impairment and to develop the best remedial program for the child at school and outside of it.
Neuropsychological assessment, or psycho-educational assessment, or two in one?
There are cases when a psychological, or educational, or psycho-educational, or neuropsychological assessments and even their abbreviated version (like psycho-educational screening) are perfectly sufficient to reach the goal: help the child to do his/her best in their new American family and society at large. But there are "difficult cases," when brain-based problems underlie the behavior and performance of a child, and only a team work of highly specialized professionals coordinating their efforts according to a predefined plan can help.
In the article below Dr. Boris Gindis explains the difference between neuropsychological or psycho-educational assessments of an internationally adopted child and helps you understand which professional you should look for.
What does my child need: neuropsychological or psycho-educational assessment?
Q. We've adopted a little girl who matches your description of institutional autism - she can do all the new things we've taught her, but hasn't got the basics from that first year in the orphanage. We're about to get matched with a second girl - but will having a sister have a good or bad effect on our four-year-old? Should we go ahead?
A. I will leave the reference to the institutional autism out of discussion at this point: it's a separate issue and, if you have reasons to believe that your child demonstrates some patterns of autistic behavior, you should go to a professional without delays.
Now, the subject of matching children through adoption.
First of all, adopting the next child you should consider change in the dynamics of your family. You have only one child until now, and she certainly is used to being the center of attention. Are you prepared to the inevitable split of attention and diminished individual time with the first child and the effects it will have on everyone?
The other important thing is the age of the second child: it's natural for the new member to be the youngest and less experienced and independent, receive support and direction from the older sibling and grow into this dynamic. It's not natural to be an older sibling but less experienced and adjusted, with weaker, initially at least, English language and social skills (I assume that you adopt the second child internationally too). So, are you, your family and the children you are matching, up to this additional challenge on top of other adoption issues and challenges? You are the only one who can answer this question.Boris Gindis Ph. D.
Sponsors
To unsubscribe
send e-mail to
newsletter-request@bgcenterschool.org
with subject: unsubscribe