Understanding The Terminology Used When Adopting

by Anna Glendenning | More from this Blogger

01 Nov 2006 12:38 AM

Parents interested in adopting a baby or child with special needs may want to understand some of the terms used to define both the state system and special needs children. This series of blog articles will outline some of the common terms used by adoption professionals and some of the special needs terms used to define specific medical or mental health issues.

Adoptive parents who understand the language used by caseworkers in charge of placing children for adoption will be able to make more informed decisions about children they are considering adopting. Recognizing some of the common terms used by adoption professionals and some of the special needs terms used to define specific medical or mental health issues is an important step to the whole process of matching and placement.

During the process of becoming adoptive parents, families are often given a long list of special needs and asked if they are willing to parent a child with a specific set of needs. Often, the degree of a need adoptive parents think they can manage will be listed as, major, moderate, or minimal. Adoptive parents should take time and consider each special need before answering.

When reading a child's profile for adoptive placement pay attention to the key words. Often, the information about a baby or child is written with terminology we don't commonly use. Adoptive parents who understand the terms in a child's profile are less likely to have a child placed with more needs then they were expecting.

Adoptive parents of children from the foster care system have access to a variety of services offered by the state and federal government. These services are designed to help adoptive parents provide children with the best possible advantage to overcome a difficult start in life. Understanding the terms and the different programs an adoptive family may be able to access is important while parenting special needs children.

There are certain medical diagnosis which have specific criteria. There are also terms we may use in common language that have specific definitions when it comes to accessing services for our children. Understanding the specific government meaning of some terms and the specific criteria for medical diagnosis may help adoptive parents find services with less complication and confusion.

Adopting a baby or child with special needs requires parents who are willing to advocate for the child's needs. This Glossary of adoption terms and special needs terms is designed to help adoptive parents equip themselves with the language they may need to best advocate for their children.

Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms: Adoption terms and special needs words may vary from agency to agency. The terms used in this Special Needs Adoption-Related Glossary may be slightly different from one State to another.

A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

For more information about parenting special needs children you might want to visit the Families.com Special Needs Blog and the Mental Health Blog. Or visit my personal website.

Photo credits for this blog entry: (no use restrictions for these photos)

Learn more about Anna Glendenning

Anna Glendenning is a mother of four. Two biological children grown and out of college, and two siblings and adopted together in 2003. Anna's Personal Website http://www.adoptiveparentsnetwork.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger