International Adoption Services for Families

The Division of General Pediatrics at Children's Hospital supports families who have adopted or are considering adopting children internationally, We provide resources that add to the care your adopted child's primary care physician provides.

Many families will receive information on children and seek professional review of these records. Your primary care provider may be able to help.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an excellent source for general health and travel information.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers important and helpful information to adoptive parents of international children.

Many, if not most, children adopted internationally will be developmentally delayed at first. This may be due to trauma, lack of exposure and stimulation, underlying medical issues, poor nutrition or the transition to a new environment. Concerns may include difficulties with sensory processing, feeding, motor coordination and speech. These problems can affect sleep, eating, socialization, play, self-care and school skills. We recommend screening for speech, occupational and physical therapy needs and for referrals to other services.

If you have questions about therapy for an internationally adopted child, call Jennifer Pearson, MS/OTR-L at (615) 322-4090.

We offer the following referrals at Children’s Hospital.

• Occupational and Physical Therapy: (615) 343-6445
• Bill Wilkerson Center for Speech Therapy: (615) 936-5000

Many families may benefit from seeing our Developmental Psychologist, Linda Ashford, Ph.D. Dr. Ashford has worked in this field for 16 years and specializes in helping families with the transition of adoption. She also assists families with more specific needs, which might include behavioral issues, developmental delays and school challenges.

If you are seeking a comprehensive primary care physician who is connected to multispecialty providers within the same system, we welcome your family to our practice.

• Children’s Hospital clinic: (615) 936-2555
• Vanderbilt Children’s University Pediatrics at One Hundred Oaks: (615) 936-3939

• Under age 3: Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) provides services for Tennessee residents
• Age 3 and over: Your public schools provide services