Anne Kim

As a foster parent, I deal with disconnected teenagers and the problems are myriad. One is that adoptions favor younger children, and most programs are focused on this kids. The other issue is that that by the time the kids are teenagers they have trouble adjusting to changes, the medical diagnosis is "adjustment disorder" which many foster kids have. Even when they are provided with a home and resources that they need, they tend to sabotage themselves and try to return to the lifestyle they had before. There need to be many more resources that focus on the needs of these particular kids, including remedial education and mental health services which are not available.… (mere)