# Information about adopted children? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350 "2012-12-17T20:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/1 "2012-12-17T20:42:56Z")
So my cousin and her husband have just adopted a child who has not came from the best background. He was born in the area but his parents were complete deadbeats it seems. They used a lot of drugs and the kid has been raised so far in sub-par standards. The parents have given up full custody of the kid and their where-abouts are not known at this point. I really don’t know the details about it but you can use your imagination. What I am getting at is that what evidence do we have that this scenario can cause problems in the future? It seems that some people within my family are worried about him. I am a bit ambiguous because he seems like a normal enough kid but I’m sure being raised the first 4 years of your life in a bad way can have its effects. So what are the facts? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/2 "2012-12-18T00:16:19Z")
The biggest concern is usually attachment disorder. There can be other issues - poor nutrition can lead to development delays both physical and mental. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/3 "2012-12-18T01:52:08Z")
You also need to worry about what drugs Mommy Dearest was using while she was pregnant with Kiddo, as Kiddo may have been born with built-in problems already. Any evidence of this? (That’s called _fetal drug syndrome_ I think, or more specific names according to the particular drug?) ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/4 "2012-12-18T03:23:51Z")
Dangerosa - Can you elaborate on exactly what is attachment disorder? In the couple of encounters I’ve had, he seems like a healthy, curious kid. I’ve heard of him throwing temper tantrums every now and then but that seems somewhat normal for a 4-year old. Senegoid - I have no idea what they were using but I must imagine it was pretty bad if they’ve just given up custody of their kids without even a care to show up for trial. However, what kind of signs would you look for in a child with Fetal Drug Syndrome? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/5 "2012-12-18T04:45:26Z")
Attention Deficit Disorder and numerous Learning Disabilities will present themselves in school-aged children. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/6 "2012-12-18T04:50:42Z")
[ul] [li][Fetal drug syndromes from NIH](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2425362/).[/li][li] [Reactive attachment disorder from Mayo Clinic.](https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/reactive-attachment-disorder/DS00988)[/li][li][Both found in the blink of an eye with this](https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=ww).[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/7 "2012-12-18T18:41:06Z")
Don’t mean to be a dick, but I’m sorta curious why you think this is any of your business? The kid’s parents presumably are aware of these issues and are dealing with them, and they’re the ones whose job it is to do so. They almost certainly had some training before the adoption – most (all?) states mandate it. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-about-adopted-children/644350/8 "2012-12-18T19:12:13Z")
> **[Schizophrenia | Genetic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia#Genetic)** > > Estimates of the heritability of schizophrenia are between 70% and 80%, which implies that 70% to 80% of the individual differences in risk of schizophrenia are associated with genetics. These estimates vary because of the difficulty in separating genetic and environmental influences, and their accuracy has been queried. The greatest risk factor for developing schizophrenia is having a first-degree relative with the disease (risk is 6.5%); more than 40% of identical twins of those Many genes are ... If the parents are some form of sick, or (as the article also mentions) drug use… Often problems over this appear about mid to late teens… > [@](#): > > Late adolescence and early adulthood are peak periods for the onset of schizophrenia OTOH, odds are the kid is just fine, but has had a sad life. Or, your genetic offspring could turn out to be a disappointment. There’s only one way to find out, but it takes 18 years.