Our Post-Placement Evaluations
/Here's what we hope to accomplish during our hour-long initial appointments with new arrivals, ideally scheduled 1-2 weeks after you get home. We then like to see children roughly every 2 months until they've been home 6 months, to closely follow adjustment, growth, and developmental catchup. Our Welcome Home Guide is a printable summary of what we usually cover at our first visit, but here is a quick overview.
History and Physical Examination:
Review any newly acquired medical, educational, or institutional records
Interview older children, with interpreter
Discuss family concerns and adjustment issues including sleep, feeding, and attachment
Assess growth
Thorough physical examination
Developmental screening
Screen hearing and vision - hard to accomplish accurately <4 years old, so ...
Likely referral for audiology, opthalmology, and/or dental examinations
If delays are greater than expected, Early Intervention referral
Immunizations:
Immunizations from Korea (and sometimes Guatemala and Taiwan) are generally trusted
From other institutional settings, we usually combine checking titers (blood tests of immunity, not reliable <1yo) and repeating immunizations based on the individual child's age and shot record
Lab Workup:
Newborn screening panel (infants only)
Complete blood count and ZPPH or ferritin (iron deficiency tests)
HIV antibody; Hepatitis B panel; hepatitis C antibody (on arrival and 6 months postplacement)
Hepatitis A titers (asymptomatic in young children, but can make their older contacts quite ill)
Serologic test for syphilis
Thyroid function tests
Lead level
Stool examination for ova and parasites (three preserved specimens - you'll get vials at the visit to collect and drop off)
Stool examination for Giardia antigen, or a stool PCR panel that includes giardia (one fresh specimen)
Urinalysis if growth deficient, symptomatic, or any history of issues
Calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase levels, if child has signs of rickets
If height deficiency is profound, further lab evaluation for short stature
Tuberculin skin or blood test (on arrival and 6 months postplacement - this is crucial)