This week on The Black Woman’s Confidant, we feature Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin for a conversation about preparing for non-traditional families. Dr. Spinks-Franklin is an African American cis-gender woman, a board-certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, wife, mother, and grandmother.
As a lifelong anti-oppression/pro-liberation child advocate and social justice warrior, Dr. Spinks-Franklin offers her expertise on the role of a developmental pediatrician, as well as how factors like genetic loads and prenatal environments can impact children. Dr. Spinks-Franklin also offers insights about the common mistakes adoptive families make, signs of trauma to watch for in your children and why not every unique behavior is a disorder.
About Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin
Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin is an African American cis-gender woman who is a board certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, wife, mother, and grandmother and lives on farm. She is a life-long anti-oppression/pro-liberation child advocate and Social Justice Warrior.
Dr. Spinks-Franklin serves on multiple national committees, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SODBP) Executive Committee, American Board of Pediatrics Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Subboard, and is the Immediate Past-President of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Dr. Spinks-Franklin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with honors with a Doctor of Medicine from Meharry Medical College School of Medicine in Nashville, TN. She completed Pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan/Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Then Dr. Spinks-Franklin went to Boston Children’s a completed 2 fellowships: the Dyson Advocacy Fellowship and the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship. She earned a Master’s in Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health during her fellowship. She has participated in global pediatric healthcare initiatives in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America.
Dr. Spinks-Franklin is a descendant of the enslaved, freedom fighters, and generations of social justice warriors. She has actively worked to dismantle racism and systems of oppression since she was a teenager. Dr. Spinks-Franklin identifies as Wonder Woman.
Key Points
00:20 Introduction to Dr. Spinks-Franklin
1:05 Hesitation towards non traditional families
2:17 What a developmental pediatrician is
2:50 Developmental pediatrician’s roles in non traditional families
3:50 The evaluations that developmental pediatricians perform
5:45 You have to study your children
6:15 If you adopt, you are adopting 3 children in 1
7:05 Understanding the complexity of your child
8:00 The bio psycho social cultural aspect
8:34 How an unwelcoming womb can impact a child even after they are born
9:30 Genetic loads can impact your child
11:00 Environmental impacts on your child
12:00 Things that impact pregnancy
14:25 Managing stress
16:05 Pursuing a family the non traditional route
16:35 Start the journey with a primary care pediatrician early
16:47 Find a mental health professional who has expertise in trauma and adoption
19:12 Trauma signs you should look out for in your child
21:19 Puberty changes everything
22:14 More signs that you should seek help
26:00 Its okay to be quirky
27:13 Everything is not a disorder or disability
28:41 Temperament vs personality
29:17 There can be personality mismatches in parents and children
29:36 Goodness of fit
31:40 Studying your child
32:00 Multigenerational support is critical
33:25 You can’t parent all children the same
33:42 Where you can find Dr. Spinks-Franklin
Episode Resources
Dr. Spinks-Franklin’s Website Adoption and Beyond
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