international-adoptees
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- PaperOpenAlex — TESOL research21 Jul 2026
Language Development of International Adoptees
Elena L. Grigorenko
This chapter reviews the scarce research on language development in internationally adopted children, focusing on the role of age at adoption in second language acquisition, maintenance of the birth language, overall language outcomes, and the predictive value of language skills for broader development.
Original abstract
This chapter reviews research on language development in IA children. Compared to the extensive literature on attachment and mental health, as well as the substantial bodies of research on cognitive development and educational achievement, studies focusing on language development in this subpopulation of children remain relatively scarce. Nevertheless, the unique combination of factors shaping IA children’s developmental trajectories makes their language acquisition an important area of inquiry. In this chapter, I examine the existing literature with particular attention to: (a) the age at adoption and its role in second language acquisition and related critical periods; (b) the maintenance of the birth language alongside learning new languages; (c) overall language functioning outcomes; and (d) the predictive value of second language acquisition for broader developmental domains such as cognition and communication.