Adopted Children don’t always have secure attachment. Some do, some don’t. Some biological children don’t have secure attachments because of preventable circumstances or because of circumstances beyond their parents control. According to the book Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents there are nine common reasons why children lose attachment figures or have attachment issues.

Separation from parents through foster care moves.
Adoption after attachment ot another parent figure has occurred.
Prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol.
Traumas like sexual abuse, physical abuse, and domestic violence.
Major depression, schizophrenia, or manic depressive illness in the parent figure.
Drug or alcohol addiction in the parent figure.
Orphanage …read more

Deborah Gray, the author of Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents recently created a top ten list for the first year of placement. It is her top ten hits for a “great start to your relationship with your baby or child”.
Deborah Gray is a children’s psychotherapist who specializes in attachment, adoption, trauma, and loss. Her most recent book is: Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience After Neglect and Trauma