Developmental Challenges of Young Children in Foster Care: Clinical Report.

Authors

Douglas Waite, Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, Jessica Simkins, Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care , Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Published in

Pediatrics. Jun 22, 2026. Epub Jun 22, 2026.

Abstract

This clinical report and its accompanying policy statement review the developmental challenges of young children in foster care under the age of 5 years, including recent research on prenatal and postnatal environmental influences on early brain development, and the effects of severe or chronic stress on child development secondary to neglect, physical and sexual abuse. This report also highlights the impact of family disruption and child-parent attachment that occurs with foster care placement, the effects of structural and interpersonal racism, multigenerational poverty, and the more pervasive societal effects that are especially common among children in foster care. The report ends with a brief review of how interventions support resilience in the face of these challenges to child development.

PMID:
42324078
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jun 2026.

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