Speech and language delays are probably the most common concern of families who adopted a child from the orphanages. It’s no wonder the children will have delayed speech. In my daughter’s case, she had spent her 18 months in the orphanage confined inside a crib with very little stimulation or encouragement. She wasn’t held and she wasn’t rocked or cuddled. No one talked to her. Combine the lack of stimulation with suddenly being handed to someone who is speaking a totally different language or sound than you’ve ever heard! We now recognize that a lot of these children sometimes won’t even utter a word for up to a year after coming into loving permanent homes.

Aside from seeking help from your local speech therapists, some resources which were helpful to us included:

At USF's Speech and Language Pathology department, the college students in the program are an awesome resource in working with children.  

James D. MacDonald, Ph.D./CCC
Communicating Partners
website: www.jamesdmacdonald.org
(614) 447-0768

James MacDonald (Dr. Jim) runs the Communicating Partners Program and he has helped the Downs Syndrome and autistic populations for many years with amazing results. A lot of his techniques are also very helpful for parents of children adopted internationally.  He has videos and manuals that show parents ways they can help their child with their speech and communication everyday. For an in-person evaluation, his clinic is in Ohio but he also travels the country so check his website to see if he may be coming near you.