Did You Know?
How many adoptions disrupt?
·	Most adoptions do not disrupt before legalization; over 80% remain 
intact. (Groza and Rosenberg, 1998) 
·	Most adoptions do not dissolve; over 98% are not terminated after 
legalization. (Groza and Rosenberg, 1998) 
·	Very few adoptions are contested: less than .1% each year. (Groza and 
Rosenthal, 1998) 
·	Adoption disruption and dissolution rates have remained relatively 
consistent over the past 15 years, ranging between 10 and 20 percent, 
depending on the type of adoption. (Barth and Berry, 1988) 
·	Disruption can range as widely as 3% to 53%, depending on group being 
studied and the calculating techniques being used. (Stolley, 1993) 
What kinds of adoptions disrupt?
·	Less than 1% of infant adoptions disrupt. (Barth and Berry, 1988) 
·	10% to 12% of adoptions of children aged three and older disrupt. 
(Barth and Berry, 1990) 
·	Of children placed for adoption at ages 6 to 12, the disruption rate 
is 9.7%. (Barth, 1988) 
·	Of children placed for adoption at ages 12 to 18, the disruption rate 
is 13.5%. (Barth, 1988) 
·	Of children of any age with special needs placed for adoption, the 
disruption rate is 14.3%. (Groze, 1986) 
·	Placements of older children and children with histories of previous 
placements and longer stays in the foster care system are more likely 
to disrupt (Stolley, 1993) 
·	The disruption rate increases as the age of the child at the time of 
adoption increases. (Boyne et al., 1984; Barth and Berry, 1988) 
·	The overall decrease in disruption percentages in 1988 from 1984 can 
be traced to the introduction of post-adoption services, an important 
factor in containing the number of adoption disruptions. (Barth and 
Berry, 1988) 

From NAIC at http://www.calib.com/naic/ 
This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission, 
however, appropriate citation must be given to the National Adoption 
Information Clearinghouse.