Early adolescent outcomes of institutionally deprived and non-deprived adoptees. III. Quasi-autism
Researchers followed Romanian institution-reared adoptees and UK domestic adoptees through ages four, six and eleven. Children with suspected autistic-like patterns underwent further diagnostic assessment at twelve. Sixteen Romanian adoptees met the study’s quasi-autism designation, while none of the domestic comparison adoptees did. Some earlier autistic-like features diminished; disinhibited attachment and difficulties with peers often co-occurred.
Limitations: “Quasi-autism” is the authors’ historical research term. Findings about extreme institutional deprivation should not be interpreted as evidence that adoption causes autism. This cohort experienced extreme early institutional deprivation and does not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Longitudinal comparative cohort study
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Children / Adolescents
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Children; adolescents
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption from Romanian institutions; UK domestic-adoption comparison
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in the bibliographic material screened. This is not confirmation of institutional independence; affiliations, funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: attachment, autism, family relationships, institutional care, institutional deprivation, intercountry adoption, longitudinal, neurodivergence, UK research
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_53b266ba9f004b83