Adopted children

Press, 26 July 1986, Page 20

Adopted children

Sir, — An article, “Research called for in teen pregnancy” (July 24), draws attention to an important issue relating to the health and well-being of children, a category which both mother and child fall into in this instance. However, it is necessary to correct a statement made in the article, that is, that “adopted children often seemed more prone to emotional disturbance.” While it is true that

adopted children are over-repre-sented among those referred to services for emotionally disturbed children, this commonly reflects the great conscientiousness and concern of the adoptive parents. It is, therefore, misleading as an indicator of the level of disturbance in adopted children. Long-term studies which follow the growth and development of large numbers of children have shown repeatedly that adopted children do at least as well as, if not better than, children raised by their natural parents and tend to do better than those who remain in the care of their young, single, socially and financially disadvantaged mothers. This is an important point for the community to appreciate in considering the matter of teen-age pregnancy. — Yours, etc., KAREN ZELAS. July 24, 1986.