Sure. I can speak to that. And Barbara is also an adoptive parent.
My children were eight and nine respectively when I adopted them. There are definitely issues of attachment, as was discussed. These children have known their birth families; it's not like the situation of an infant. I was adopted myself as an infant, but I don't have any memories of my birth family. Children who come into care when they have been in their birth families for some period of time, and who then eventually become legally free for adoption, have memories. They often have had visits in the past. They may have siblings. They may be separated from siblings. Their whole conception of family is a little more complicated, perhaps, than the situation when you're adopting an infant.
Primarily, in my view and in my experience, the issues that are difficult are issues of trauma rather than issues of adoption. The children don't come into the Children's Aid Society just because their parents were killed in a car accident, necessarily; there is usually some reason why they are not with their family of origin. Those reasons may be very difficult for the children. That is often what plays out in their adoptive families.
I think adopting older children can be extremely successful, but the parents need to be well supported. I did it as a single parent and I know that I had a lot of help from the Children's Aid Society here in Ottawa. It really made a difference for me.
The other thing is that issues can emerge, as they can for any children growing up in a family. Whether you are the biological parent or the adoptive parent, there are things you may or may not be prepared for, and you may need to be flexible. You may need to adjust your expectations and you may go through difficult patches sometimes, but with enough support, I think these can be very successful placements and adoptions.