Similar to a previous discussion on student athletic participation, adoption is
often postulated to be an overwhelmingly protective event. Even more so than in that
example, the assumption is, in the following example, likely true. Children who have
been adopted do well in many domains of life. Even so, adoption can convey risk to
children depending on several factors that are discussed below such as the type of
adoption process a child experiences, providing many opportunities for schools to be
involved in mental health promotion. Moreover, school practices can convey risk to
adopted children, depending on the approach and sensitivity used in presentation. This
chapter also, therefore, provides specific examples of how common school exercises
that may convey risk can, often with little resource investment, encourage adopted
children and facilitate their participation as members of the school community.
Keywords: Adoption, Child welfare, Deprivation, Developmental cognizance,
Domestic adoption, Foster care, International adoption, Open adoption.
