This aspect of the center's mission is particularly important, Mason said, since there's little research into internationally adopted children. Its work also may help children in foster care in the United States, he added, since some behavioral and developmental problems are similar. Uncommon problems Despite the parallels, international adoptees can present problems U.S. pediatricians rarely see, such as intestinal parasites, and, in the case of one Chinese orphanage, measles. Infections and nutrition-related problems, especially slowed growth, also are common. These children also experience delayed cognitive and speech development, difficulty forming attachments and behavioral problems that can manifest themselves in head banging, rocking and hand-wringing, Mason said.
Developmental problems are particularly hard to assess.
Fortunately, Mason said, some are temporary. For all the damage he's seen, Mason also has witnessed how a loving family and proper medical care can transform a child. They get fed, loved and nurtured, and they really do improve. And unlike many other international adoptees, she's a chatterbox, her mother says. Karina has had some speech and language delays, but it hasn't been as evident as in other children.