PEDIATRICS Vol. 41 No. 2 February 1968, pp. 519-523
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PEDIATRIC CONSULTATION IN ADOPTION PRACTICE

Donald C. Smith M.D.1

1 School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Certain recent trends and developments in the field of adoption have emphasized the role of the pediatric consultant in adoption practices. These changes include a steady increase in the number of adoption placements each year, a significant decrease in the ratio of adoptive parents to adoptable children, a broadening of the concept of adoptability, and an acceptance by both the agency and adoptive parents of the child with special problems and needs.

By providing consultant services to an adoption agency, a pediatrician assumes important and satisfying responsibilities that not only test his diagnostic skills and knowledge of the natural history of childhood disease, but also demand an understanding of current trends and developments in adoption practice, the role of community agencies in adoption, and insight into the consultation process itself. The role of consultant gives the pediatrician an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the effectiveness of the adoption agency and thus to the welfare of children in his community.

Submitted on May 15, 1967
Accepted on September 26, 1967