Figure 1:

Drawing from six different institutions in Bucharest, more than 180 children underwent a pediatric and neurological exam. We excluded children with frank genetic or neurological disorders. The remaining 136 children comprised of 68 children from the care as usual group (CAUG) and 68 children from the foster care group (FCG) underwent an extensive baseline assessment, as did 72 never institutionalized children (NIG) we recruited from the community. Following this assessment, half of the institutionalized children were randomly assigned to continued institutional care and half to a high-quality foster care program the study team created and financed. Average age at randomization was ~22 months. Children in all 3 groups were then followed up at 30, 42, and 54 months, and again at 8, 12, and 16 years; a 22 year follow up is in progress.