Adopted at 12 months!! Will he really have "post orphanage" behaviors?!

In the adoption world, there is so much talk about negative behaviors that come out of being in an orphanage.  The main reason for this, in my opinion, is that the needs of these infants are not being met.  In the first 12 months of life, the brain is basically like a stack of blocks and all of those blocks need to fit perfectly together.  When a baby cries and is not comforted, that block doesn't get fit perfectly where it needs to go.  These babies learn to self soothe (ex. rocking back and forth, head banging, thumb sucking, etc.) because they know that if they cry, no one will come for them.  So, in turn, those blocks of the brain never get fit perfectly into place.
So, with that being said, we thought that by getting T at 12 months old, we would hopefully get him "early enough" that he wouldn't have any neglect issues.  From 12 months - about 3 years old, T did not respond well with other kids.  At the park, he would love going down the slides and swing, but if other kids were around, he would stay close to us.  I just contributed it to the fact that he wasn't really around other kids anymore and preferred adults. 
At age 3 1/2, T became a big brother through adoption.  Wow....what a major adjustment!!!  T did not do well with someone else taking my attention, which is common for any older sibling.   But he was different.  T started acting out more, having major meltdowns, started wetting the bed again, and being "down right mean" at times.   So my husband and I were torn...is this typical 3 1/2 year old behavior or is this something more?  We worked with him on his behavior by using positive reinforcement (or trying anyway!) and making sure that he got alone time with each parent.  After about a year, we felt that the adjustment period was over and that T needed some help with how to overcome his behaviors and action.

Next Stop:  International Adoption Doctor

Following Along on My Journey

Hi all!!  I am inviting you to follow along on my journey of finding the missing links in my hyper child, T.  The journey for us started when T. was 3 1/2.  He is now 7 1/2.  T has always been on the move!  He was the toddler that jumped up and down instead of standing still.  He would flap his arms if he didn't get his way.  When T would get in trouble, he would throw a tantrum and hold his breath until he passed out.  Lovely, huh?! 
I remember the first time he did that.  We were at Babies R Us and he had a package in his hand and started chewing on the package.  He was able to pull a small section of cardboard off and had it in his mouth.  I had to open his mouth to get it out.  He started crying but made no sound.  He held his breath, turned blue, and then finally started screaming.  I almost started CPR on him!!! 
Fast forward to now, T is in first grade and doing well.  He has been through occupational therapy, chiropractor services, essential oils, etc. and so on.  I plan on doing my best of blogging through everything that I have tried for him up until now.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. 

Becky