Course JSBG1 Instructors
Jody Sciortino, LCSW Boris Gindis, Ph.D.
This course helps
potential adoptive parents prepare for the hosting experience
with older children from foreign orphanages and have a lot of
“How?” and “Why?” questions answered. The
instructors go into every detail of your encounter with a post-institutionalized
older child in your own home, explaining what to expect and
how to manage this unique opportunity.
Unit
1. Older IA children as a group
Typical health issues
Life before institution: the impact of trauma
Life in institution: survival skills
The consequences: developmental delays
The consequences: delayed language development
Unit
2.Short term hosting: expectations and
reality
Examining your expectations and motivation
for hosting
Child's expectations of home and family
The dynamics of short term hosting
Preparing your family for your host child's
arrival
Preparing to cope with language barrier
Unit
3. Helping your
child settle in
Understanding cultural differences of the
child
What the children should call their host
parents
Clothes and personal belongings
Bathing and hygiene
Appropriate activities
Over-stimulation and gifts
Addressing behavior issues
The importance of schedule, limits, structure,
and predictability
Food preferences of the child
Bedtime routine
Safety issues
Traveling with the child
Unit
4. Professional medical and psychological help
during visiting
Use and support of escorts, staff, and translators
Dealing with extreme behaviors
Guidelines for consultations with professionals
Emergency help
Unit
5. Preparation for the adoption process
Should I talk about adoption with the child?
Guidelines to making a decision to adopt
Data gathering during the child's stay in
your home
Preparation for the adoption trip: school-related
documents
