Children from institutions are often deprived of sensory motor development, an environment enriched with stimulation and human interaction. More often than not, caregivers are overburdened with tasks and the environment is run down and certainly not optimal for children to learn and stimulate their brains.
We know that AJ was in one of these deprived environments for two years.
However, after adoption, he says, “these children go from the most deprived environments to some of the most enriched ones. In one day, these children become part of well-educated, affluent, stable and loving families.” They now live in what Pollak …read more

Ah, the joys of parenting, right? All of us parents, whether adoptive parent or biological parents have been dealt with our fair share of poop…some more than others. Some of us have had all the poop we ever, ever want.
Many children from Eastern European orphanages have issues with constipation, encopresis, and holding their bowels. In fact, our son has problems with all three because of medical reasons, learned behaviors, and a drastic change in diet.

Ah yes, poop again. But, it has to be talked about.
Encopresis is actually a long standing problem developed from constipation. A child who has chronic constipation will often not completely empty themselves and the large intestine will start to stretch, allowing stool to “leak” around the hard, formed, stool in the colon. The first sign of encopresis is usually stained underwear but most parents assume the child is not wiping well.

Dr. Jane Aronson does a FANTASTIC job of explaining Sensory Integration issues for kids from Institutions.