Adoptive parents at this stage must interact warmly with the baby, showing approval for this behavior, and must not reject clingy and whiny behavior. To reject this negative behavior will only intensify it. Your goal here is to promote attachment, which in turn will help them relax. Then they can play and learn. Children between eighteen months and three years of age are able to recognize that they are separate individuals.
Institutionalized babies spend most of their lives cooped up in a box or crib, simply observing.
When they finally climb out, they seek out adults, watching them work, and imitating their motions. They have learned there is no one to go to for comfort if they are hurt or afraid. One of your tasks is to win the child's trust and to prove that you are now there to give aid and comfort. Children are now able to talk and to understand most of what is being said in their native language. Suddenly they must learn a new language and a new routine in a new environment.