Learning disabilities and vital itinerary in children adopted: interactions and influences from the triad M.A.N. (maltreatment, abuse, negligence)

Abstract

Adoption processes are protection mechanisms that children need when, in particular, situations of maltreatment, abuse, negligence (MAN triad) are observed, whereby adopted children are expected to provide safety and care contexts as well as to provide them with the necessary affectivity, optimal education and socialization, essential contexts for a balanced and normalized development for these children. This paper aims, firstly, to know the possible problems of learning and school difficulties as a consequence of a harmful life itinerary for adopted children with 209 participating subjects with family characteristics, development in their first years of life and adverse contexts with negative impact in its vital evolutionary process; then, the interactions and existing relationships between variables of the vital itinerary and contexts of the first months and first years of development are analyzed. Finally, we look for the influence of both types of variables on the MAN triad and academic achievement. The results show the clear existence of diverse learning difficulties in the subjects participating in reading/writing, oral language, and calculation areas, as well as in relation to the interactions between the first years in institutions and, specially, in interaction with the biological family and the foster/adoptive family. Moreover, there are significant correlations between the stays of children in the first years and learning difficulties in reading, comprehension and oral expression. Finally, variables such as difficulties of calculation, place and stay of the child in the fourth year and the first year of birth have relevant influence on both the MAN triad and the difficulties of understanding and place of coexistence of the children in the fourth year on the academic achievement.