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Special Needs Adoption

As you may remember one part of the adoption application was to consider what type of child you would consider. You may think that is an easy question, it is actually one of the most complex questions. When you hear the term special needs adoption you may automatically think of a child who has physical disabilities. While children with physical disabilities are special needs children there is also many other conditions or circumstances that would make the child a special needs child. Some of the other reasons that a child may be labeled as special needs are: • If they … Continue reading →

Why We Chose Adoption

When my husband and I started discussing getting married we both decided that we wanted to adopt a child or a sibling group. Unlike a majority of the people who make the decision to adopt we did not have a fertility issue. We actually took all the necessary precautions not to have children the good old fashioned way. If you are anything like my in-laws, you may be wondering why we would chose adoption rather than birthing our children. Hopefully this blog will help clarify that for you. When we thought of our family we both knew that the kids … Continue reading →

Adoption Support Groups Part II – The Group Needs You!!

Question time! If you are an adoptive parent, do you participate in a local support group? After a long and frustrating search, I finally found our local group. I had a very nice discussion with the post-adoption services coordinator about the group, about what we were looking for and/or hoping to find in the way of a group, and about how their support groups function. She mentioned right off the bat that the group is pretty new and so far attendance has been miserable, but we just sort of skimmed over that point initially… The group meets very close to … Continue reading →

Adopting a Child with Special Needs

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The desire to adopt a child is a great gift but can be a long process. When considering adopting a child with special needs, there are many additional factors to consider. Children who are up for adoption, especially older children, come with a history that many of us can’t even imagine. Some have been through numerous foster homes, some have suffered abuse and neglect, and some were born with disabilities. Each child is unique, and understanding and accepting who he or she is and what you as parents can offer, are key in making sure your adoption goes off without … Continue reading →

Pets and the Special Needs Child

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When you have a child with a special need, the thought of having an animal to take care of in addition to all of the other work you do can seem like an overwhelming hassle that isn’t worth it. However, children with special needs can benefit in numerous ways from having a pet to bond with and play with. Having a pet teaches every child the importance of responsibility. Your child will learn quickly that the pet needs to be fed, cleaned and cared for. If your child can physically participate in those responsibilities, she should be allowed to. The … Continue reading →

Book Review: All About Adoption:How Families Are Made and How Kids Feel About It

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All About Adoption: How Families Are Made and How Kids Feel About It is a book from Magination Press, which specializes in titles helping children understand tough situations or deal with feelings. (Magination Press is also the publisher of Maybe Days, a Book about Foster Care.) All About Adoption authors Marc Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata are both clinical psychologists specializing in families and children. All About Adoption starts out by saying “there are lots of different ways to have a baby. ..some parents have one baby..and some parents have two or three babies all at once. “Babies grow inside a … Continue reading →

A Big Difference for Adopting Parents: the Adoption Tax Credit Renewed and Expanded

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Whatever you think of the new health care legislation, adoptive parents will realize one benefit: the Adoption Tax Credit, which was set to expire this year, will be renewed through December 21, 2011. The maximum reimbursable limit for adoption-related expenses was raised from $12, 150 to $13, 170. In addition, the Adoption Tax Credit will benefit families who have no taxes or a very small amount of taxes due, because it is now refundable. The credit lessens for adopters with income of over$ 180,000 per year, and continues to lessen as incomes go up until it is eventually phased out. … Continue reading →

China Adoption Today

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For several years, Americans have adopted more children from China than from any other country. Agencies recommend China to their clients as having a stable and predictable adoption process. Well, the good news is, it’s still stable and predictable. The bad news is, the time families wait for a referral is now measured in years instead of months. In December 2006, I wrote about China’s imposition of new requirements for adoptive parents. Most notably, these stipulated that singles were no longer eligible to adopt (China had been a popular option with single mothers until that time), and neither were people … Continue reading →

Adoptions: Non-Refundable?

I’ve always loved children. I’ve been babysitting my whole life, went to school to become an elementary grade school teacher, and taught preschool for two years after graduating. Since becoming a mother, I look at children in a totally different light. Before, kids were just kids. I liked them, and most of them were fun. However, some were cute, some weren’t as cute; some were brats, some were angels. Now, when I see a child, I think to myself, “Someone carried that child in her belly for 9 months. Someone gave birth to that baby. Someone probably loves that child … Continue reading →

China Adoption Book Review Series: Kids Like Me in China

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What does a nine-year-old think and feel about her adoption? What thoughts and feelings does she have on revisiting the orphanage where she lived during the first year of her life and meeting her caregivers? My recent China Adoption Book Review Series (The Lost Daughters of China, China Ghosts, and Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son Parts One, Two, and Three, has covered writings by adoptive parents and from researchers, journalists and academics into abandonment, orphanage care, and domestic and international adoption in China. With Kids Like Me in China, we get to hear from an adoptee. Ying Ying Fry … Continue reading →