ABSTRACT
The focus on both adopted/looked after children and on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD/ADD) has been very much influenced by developing research on early brain development. Investigators in ADHD have focused attention on the neurobiology of the disorder and adoption studies have centred much of their attention on the effects of abuse and neglect on the developing brain during infancy and early childhood. Pertinent to the topic of ADHD/ADD in adopted/looked after children is the finding that the brains of abused and neglected children are not as well integrated as the brains of non-abused children. Most children who enter the care system will have lived initially with a birth parent who verbalizes that she wants to parent well and that she loves her baby. When parents with mental health difficulties or substance abuse problems are unable to offer the child a positive growth-producing environment, the child’s brain maturation is unlikely to achieve the desired goals.
