Many adopted people have known they were adopted from their youngest days. However, some adoptees learn they were adopted later, at a time when they could understand clearly that they were not biologically related to their family. Here are some thoughts about the Late Discover Adoptee experience.

A late discovery adoptee, or LDA, is a person who learns that they were adopted later in life than is typical.

This delayed discovery can happen for a variety of reasons. Usually it's because the adoptive parents did not disclose the adoption to their child.

LDAs may learn about their adoption as an older child, in adolescence, or as an adult. Their late discovery may occur after an intentional search for answers or accidentally when the secret of their adoptee status is revealed.

Here are a few insights I have gained about late discovery adoptees from interviews on the Who Am I Really? podcast.