(0 items)
- Home
- » Adoption
- » How to Adopt
- » Characteristics of Children Waiting for Families
- » Adopting Children With Disabilities
Adopting Children With Disabilities
Disabilities can include an array of conditions including cerebral palsy, autism, cleft lip and palate, cystic fibrosis, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, learning or intellectual disabilities, and epilepsy. Some disabilities may be related to prenatal exposure to toxic substances or the result of abuse or neglect, while other disabilities may be genetic. Children with disabilities in the U.S. foster care system are considered to have "special needs" for purposes of adoption assistance. Children adopted through intercountry adoption may have disabilities as well. In this section you will find resources for and about families that adopted children with disabilities, including State and local examples.
"Special Needs" Adoption: What Does It Mean?
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2010)
Presents common questions about adopting a child or youth with special needs and provides resources that will give prospective adoptive parents detailed answers.
Special Needs Adoption
Adopting.org
Offers resources for those considering adopting a child with special needs, including information on available subsidies, advocating for children, support services, and personal considerations.
Special Needs Adoption
Children's Disability Information
Includes a range of adoption articles addressing disability issues.
Special Needs Adoption
Comeunity.com
Provides support and information on the adoption of children with special needs and physical and emotional disabilities.
Special Needs Adoptions: How States Define Special Needs (PDF - 151 KB)
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption
Examines how States determine which children are considered to have special needs.
State and local examples
Foster Care and Adoption Self-Assessment Guide: A Useful Tool to Help You Make an Informed Decision About Fostering or Adopting a Child (PDF - 412 KB)
Iowa KidsNet
Provides information and self-assessment guides to persons considering foster parenting and/or special needs adoption.
The Guide to Special Needs Adoption in Wisconsin
Adoption Resources of Wisconsin
Describes the process for adopting a child with special needs in Wisconsin (click on the link in the left navigation bar).
Podcasts
Georgia Center for Adoption and Foster Care
Provides information on developmental disabilities and related topics via podcasts for foster and adoptive parents.
Special Needs Adoption: A Resource Directory (PDF - 194 KB)
Arizona Department of Economic Security, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families
Designed to answer the most frequently asked questions on adoption of children with special needs in Arizona.
Special Needs Adoption Program
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Describes Kentucky's Special Needs Adoption Program, which operates statewide to recruit families to adopt and/or foster Kentucky's waiting children.