tackling the terminology

There's a special language you'll need to learn unique to the adoption world.

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f you're adopting, it probably hasn't taken you too long to figure out there's a special language you'll need to learn unique to the adoption world. We're here to help. Check out this list of interpretations for adoption lingo.

Bonding - The process a child goes through in developing lasting emotional ties to their caregiver. It is seen as the first and most important developmental step the child takes and is critical to his/her ability to relate to others throughout life.

Dossier - A set of legal documents used in an international adoption to process a child's adoption in the foreign court.

Homestudy - A process through which prospective adoptive parents are evaluated to determine their suitability to adopt.

I-600 and I-600 - A visa petition in the form of an official request to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service (USCIS) to classify an orphan as an immediate relative. The approval provides expedited processing and issuance of a visa to allow the child to enter the United States after having been adopted abroad or in order to be adopted in the United States.

Institutionalization - The placement of children in hospitals, institutions, or orphanages. Placement in institutions during early critical developmental periods and for lengthy periods is often associated with developmental delays due to environmental deprivation, poor staffing or lack of early stimulation.

Orphanage - A facility which houses children who are orphaned, abandoned or whose parents are unable to care for them.

Post-institutionalized child - Children adopted out of institutional, hospital, or orphanage settings. The term is used to describe emotional and psychological issues, developmental delays, learning disabilities or medical problems that can result from their stay in institutions.

More to come...