Adopted Child Syndrome (ACS)

I found this interesting, and quote some snippets from the article. http://www.nypost.com/seven/07262007... dams_otis.htm

Quote:
"adopted as an infant by a wealthy family and remained "distant" throughout his childhood and into his troubled teen years, The Post has learned. Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, was born to teenage parents who gave him up at birth, "

My comment : It sounds like this man was never "right". Never bonded? I read somewhere else that he was homeschooled. They may have done that because he was getting into trouble at school... kicked out? Or the public school simply couldve allowed him to slip through the cracks, as happened with my bipolar niece, leading to my sister homeschooling her.

Quote:
" "Everybody in the family tried as hard as they could to make him feel welcomed, but he was very distant," the source said.
"They had many sleepless nights and tried very hard to figure out what was going wrong."
Joshua began his criminal career with burglary at the age of 14, and his parents stood by him. But these heinous accusations have left them stunned, the source said. "

My comment: Based on what I have read, I don't think the blame can be placed on the adoptive parents. Who knows if the birthmother was doing drugs through her pregnancy, etc. She may have had a history of mental illness as well.

Years ago, we had a case where an adopted boy killed his family. Dad was a well known Dr. Speculation has always been that something was genetically wrong.. bad pregnancy? Who knows.

I did a google for Keith Weaver, the adoptee from my area who killed his family, and found this website on adopted children who kill. Chilling!
http://www.amfor.net/killers/

Quote:

• Weaver, Keith Chul, 14 Admitted to stabbing murder of his adopters, Anna May Weaver & Raymond Clair Weaver, & his adoptive sister Kimberly, & raped a teenage adoptive relative. Keith was one of 2 Korean orphans adopted by the (White) couple whose biological son described Keith as a "self centered, callous, juvenile delinquent." Weaver's feeling of rejection became a festering mental illness. Source: "Psychologist: 'Weaver's Mind Snapped,'" Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA), 3-12-92; & "Lawyer Wants Teen Accused of 3 Murders Tried as Juvenile; 9/7/91; & "Weaver Tried as Adult", 6/23/93.

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We adopted 6 of our 7 children. My oldest daughter, now 23, was placed with us shortly before her 2nd birthday. She was a hellion as a teenager, and when we sought treatment we were told that she has something called Reactive Attachment Disorder. She was neglected and abused by her birthmother and never learned how to bond with people.

There was a boy in our town who killed his adoptive parents, grandparents and sister with a hammer, knife and ax.

http://www.birthpsychology.com/violence/headlines1.html

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JBean said:

Great topic and it will be interesting to look into this more closely. I have no experience and would like to hear more form those of you that do.

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The Facts & Stats

While many factors come into play with regard to criminal behaviors, the fact of the adoption, and Adopted Child Syndrome is purposely overlooked at trial because it is "politically incorrect" to explore adoption's negative effects on the adoptee. In FBI statistics, 76% of the world's serial killers are in the United States; 90% are male.

• In a study of "Serial Killers" on Internet by Dr. Mike Aamodt, Radford University, 14% of (225) serial killers are adopted.
• The FBI estimates 500 serial killers currently in the U.S; about 80 or 16% have been identified as adoptees. Since government stats indicate adoptees represent "only 2-3% (5-10-million) of the general population," 16% that are serial killers is an "over-representation" compared to the general population. http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/serialkiller.htm
• Most adoptees who kill were adopted at birth.

Serial killers have been a fascination for forensic psychologists who profile killers by their crime scenes. Separating this group from other adoptees who kill is the fact that they kill strangers. Researchers have noted that, "to an adoptee, everyone is a stranger." Dr. David Kirschner told a New York Times reporter, "I've personally been involved in 12 cases of adoptees who have killed... including a tiny but significant group who become serial killers. And while many undergo therapy, unfortunately, there is barely ever a mention of the impact adoption has on their lives. It's a subject no one ever wants to talk about, particularly adoptive families."

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• conflict with authority (for example truancy);
• preoccupation with excessive fantasy;
• pathological lying;
• stealing;
• running away (from home, school, group homes, situations);
• learning difficulties, under-achievement, over-achievement;
• lack of impulse control (acting out, promiscuity, sex crimes);
• fascination with fire, fire-setting

JBean said:

Great topic and it will be interesting to look into this more closely. I have no experience and would like to hear more form those of you that do.

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csds703 said:

ACS behaviors most commonly referred to are:

• conflict with authority (for example truancy);
• preoccupation with excessive fantasy;
• pathological lying;
• stealing;
• running away (from home, school, group homes, situations);
• learning difficulties, under-achievement, over-achievement;
• lack of impulse control (acting out, promiscuity, sex crimes);
• fascination with fire, fire-setting

The behaviors listed above describe my ex husband

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csds703 said:

In the 1980s, adoptees who exhibited "Attachment Disorder" were further categorized as a "sub-set spectrum" of adoptees who, to varying degrees, exhibit eight specific antisocial Adopted Child Syndrome (ACS) behaviors -- according to noted psychologists, Kirschner, Sorosky, Schecter, Carlson, Simmons, Work, Goodman, Silverstein, Mandell, Menlove, Simon, Senturia, Offord, Aponti, Cross and others. However the "spectrum" is never defined, so it is argued that all adoptees are at risk due to the complexities of adoptees' dual identities and secret pasts. Although Brazelton referred to ACS as "malarkey" in the press, psychiatrist David Cooke said "Adopted Child Syndrome is simply a new name for a phenomenon that has been observed since the 1950's" (by Paton). The ACS behaviors most commonly referred to are:

• conflict with authority (for example truancy);
• preoccupation with excessive fantasy;
• pathological lying;
• stealing;
• running away (from home, school, group homes, situations);
• learning difficulties, under-achievement, over-achievement;
• lack of impulse control (acting out, promiscuity, sex crimes);
• fascination with fire, fire-setting

The behaviors listed above describe my ex husband

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CaliKid said:

Of my 6 adopted children, two are now adults and have been in various degrees of criminal trouble.

Oldest daughter, now almost 24, was a habitual drug-using, promiscuous runaway as a teenager, and eventually we had to send her away to a residential treatment center until her high school graduation in order to get her treated for her issues which included violence against us (her parents). Upon release she relapsed back into drug use, and she has had several arrests for vagrancy, DUI, driving on a suspended license and grand theft. In the past 18 months she's managed to straighten up her life.

Her biological brother, now 22, has OCD and is schizophrenic, an alcoholic and a drug addict. He was also violent towards us and stole around $2000 from me. Unfortunately, I didn't realize at the time what he did, and by the time I did I couldn't have him prosecuted, but he has been in minor trouble with the law. Currently, he has no contact with us because he's paranoid and thinks we're trying to get him incarcerated or locked up in a mental hospital. I worry that one day I'm going to read in the paper that he's murdered someone.

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Julessleuther said:

Ok--saw this topic and wanted to make a few comments.

Not every child that is adopted is a "problem child". Many that grow up in a loving family, with good family values, grow up to lead wonderful lives. If I may be so bold, I am one of those. I was adopted at age 5. Life with my natural family was at best chaotic, and at worst traumatic. Before age 5, myself and my siblings were sexually, mentally, and physically abused, and I used to watch my natural mother get high and hallucinate on a regular basis. For the last year of my life with my natural family we lived in a truck and traveled from place to place, begging for food. At five I was separated from my mother and three siblings, and went to live with a "new" family (my siblings were all adopted out around the country).

Was I messed up when I came to live with my family? Yes. But I was SO happy to be part of a "real" family, that I did not want to mess it up and be asked to leave. I was scared to death that they would send me back. I was so appreciative of having someone who loved and took care of me. And guess what, the adoption agency never told my parents that I had been physically and sexually abused, so they never got me professional help as a child (I got it as an adult, as I had intense fears of being like my natural mother). They knew the conditions were bad, but had not been given any details. It was not untl I was older that we got court papers stating the abuse that my siblings and I received. It was never discussed that I was adopted. My younger sister was 12 yrs old before she found out I was adopted. I was just part of the family, and everything expected of the others was expected of me. I was not violent or destructive. As a matter of fact, I was so gentle with my adopted little brother that I would let him bite me until I bled (he went through a wierd biting phase when he was 2.) My parents were a good christian family, who were strict, and had a high set of moral values. If it wasn't for those values, I KNOW my life would have turned out much different. I was a typical teenager, but I did not drink, smoke, do drugs, or sleep around because I did not want to screw up my "good family". The worst I did as a teenager is get C's instead of A's. I knew my family expected more from me, and for the most part I tried my best. As an adult I have found my natural siblings, and for the most part they grew up to have "normal" lifes too--primarily because they also were adopted into good families. I still carry scars from my childhood trauma, but they manifest themselves in protective ways--still being afraid of the dark, being alittle over-protective of my kids, having a harder time trusting people. I do not think about hurting my family, and I do not think about murdering someone.

Don't get me wrong, I am not pointing fingers at those families that have had problem kids by saying it is all the parents fault. I do think values do play a huge part, but I really think more than some kind of "adoption" syndrome, it is because the kids lacked moral reasoning. At may have come from birth and never instilled later on, or it may have been "too late" by the time these kids came to live with their adoptive families.

My point is this--all people can have problems with their families, natural and adoptive. While I do see that there are problems with adoptees having traumatic events happen, not every adoptee will turn out bad BECAUSE they have had trauma. I had a traumatic childhood and could not kill or hurt a fly (ok, maybe a fly, but not a human being). Many families with natural kids can have problems too--there is just something missing for the type of person who could kill, some kind of moral compass to teach them right from wrong.

I admit that I find this line of thought alittle offensive. It is quick and easy to blame the kids, but I know of at least one case where a girl that was adopted and grew up to have problems, did so because her adopted family never fully accepted her as one of their children. They let her know every chance that she was "adopted". If a child grows up feeling that they never "belong" anywhere, they will be more likely to have problems valuing life. It would not matter if a child was adopted or natural, if they are abused or treated badly, they are more likely to perpetuate the cycle. I think the bigger issue is not whether a child is adopted, but whether a person was abused when they were younger. I think if statistics were done, the number of people who are natural children with their families, who grow up to kill are much higher than adoptees. Being an adoptee is an irrelevant statistic.

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SewingDeb said:

My heart goes out to you CaliKid. I'm also wondering about a genetic component or drug use during pregnancy for those two of your adopted six children.

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Julessleuther said:

Ok--saw this topic and wanted to make a few comments.

Not every child that is adopted is a "problem child". Many that grow up in a loving family, with good family values, grow up to lead wonderful lives. If I may be so bold, I am one of those. I was adopted at age 5. Life with my natural family was at best chaotic, and at worst traumatic. Before age 5, myself and my siblings were sexually, mentally, and physically abused, and I used to watch my natural mother get high and hallucinate on a regular basis. For the last year of my life with my natural family we lived in a truck and traveled from place to place, begging for food. At five I was separated from my mother and three siblings, and went to live with a "new" family (my siblings were all adopted out around the country).

Was I messed up when I came to live with my family? Yes. But I was SO happy to be part of a "real" family, that I did not want to mess it up and be asked to leave. I was scared to death that they would send me back. I was so appreciative of having someone who loved and took care of me. And guess what, the adoption agency never told my parents that I had been physically and sexually abused, so they never got me professional help as a child (I got it as an adult, as I had intense fears of being like my natural mother). They knew the conditions were bad, but had not been given any details. It was not untl I was older that we got court papers stating the abuse that my siblings and I received. It was never discussed that I was adopted. My younger sister was 12 yrs old before she found out I was adopted. I was just part of the family, and everything expected of the others was expected of me. I was not violent or destructive. As a matter of fact, I was so gentle with my adopted little brother that I would let him bite me until I bled (he went through a wierd biting phase when he was 2.) My parents were a good christian family, who were strict, and had a high set of moral values. If it wasn't for those values, I KNOW my life would have turned out much different. I was a typical teenager, but I did not drink, smoke, do drugs, or sleep around because I did not want to screw up my "good family". The worst I did as a teenager is get C's instead of A's. I knew my family expected more from me, and for the most part I tried my best. As an adult I have found my natural siblings, and for the most part they grew up to have "normal" lifes too--primarily because they also were adopted into good families. I still carry scars from my childhood trauma, but they manifest themselves in protective ways--still being afraid of the dark, being alittle over-protective of my kids, having a harder time trusting people. I do not think about hurting my family, and I do not think about murdering someone.

Don't get me wrong, I am not pointing fingers at those families that have had problem kids by saying it is all the parents fault. I do think values do play a huge part, but I really think more than some kind of "adoption" syndrome, it is because the kids lacked moral reasoning. At may have come from birth and never instilled later on, or it may have been "too late" by the time these kids came to live with their adoptive families.

My point is this--all people can have problems with their families, natural and adoptive. While I do see that there are problems with adoptees having traumatic events happen, not every adoptee will turn out bad BECAUSE they have had trauma. I had a traumatic childhood and could not kill or hurt a fly (ok, maybe a fly, but not a human being). Many families with natural kids can have problems too--there is just something missing for the type of person who could kill, some kind of moral compass to teach them right from wrong.

I admit that I find this line of thought alittle offensive. It is quick and easy to blame the kids, but I know of at least one case where a girl that was adopted and grew up to have problems, did so because her adopted family never fully accepted her as one of their children. They let her know every chance that she was "adopted". If a child grows up feeling that they never "belong" anywhere, they will be more likely to have problems valuing life. It would not matter if a child was adopted or natural, if they are abused or treated badly, they are more likely to perpetuate the cycle. I think the bigger issue is not whether a child is adopted, but whether a person was abused when they were younger. I think if statistics were done, the number of people who are natural children with their families, who grow up to kill are much higher than adoptees. Being an adoptee is an irrelevant statistic.

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SewingDeb said:

Julessleuther,
You have overcome so much in your life and I believe you and your biological siblings were able to do that with much love from the adoptive family. Please don't be offended by this topic. I think that when adoption is a factor with killers it is because they have not bonded with their new family and Attachment Disorder is at the root of their problems.

I adopted my youngest child who is actually my grandson. We have not had those kinds of problems mainly because we bonded with him at birth (adoption didn't become final until he was 4 and we had already had him since he was 9 months old).

I'm not sure if Attachment Disorder only occurs with adoptees or if some children have this problem when raised in their natural family. Maybe someone on this forum knows the answer to this question.

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Linda7NJ said:

RAD can occur within biological families too.

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PSUfan said:

This is all very scary to me. My sister has 2 adopted daughters, ages 6 and 8. They were both 'semi open' adoptions, from different situations. She and her husband were selected by the birth mothers, during their pregnancies, so these were newborn adoptions.

They are both beautiful girls, in a stable home and family. We are a bit worried about the younger one though. She is very smart.. but VERY headstrong, and has verbalized some scary, extremely hurtful things. Even though she is so young, my sister is aware of the 'adopted child syndrome', and while we pray that my niece settles down, we all think that sis and family may need therapy at some point. Every single day with her has struggles beyond what I ever went through with my children, and far beyond what she goes through with the older daughter.

On edit, Calikid, since the two that you had so many problems with were biological siblings, were you able to determine that this was a genetic issue? Did you get a complete mental health history? Problems or drug use during pregnancy?

My sisters youngest came to her with slight traces of cocaine in her bloodstream, at birth.

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