Medical Needs

Gladney Center for Adoption: “Special Needs Adoption Guide: What you need to know when considering special needs adoption”

An article on what parents need to know when it comes to special needs adoption. Different sections explain what special needs adoption is, the medical conditions checklist, having a file reviewed, setting up your support system, facing reality upon arriving home, navigating the medical system, and more.

Medical Needs

Medical Home Portal: “Adoption of Children with Special Needs”

An article covering general preparation advice for parents adopting a child with special needs. It covers adoption of children with special needs, getting ready for adoption, choosing an adoption agency, the outline of the adoption process, and a resource section.

Medical Needs

Gladney Center for Adoption: “How We Decided Which Special Needs Boxes to Check on Our Preference Checklist”

This article by an adoptive mother talks about considerations that go into the preference checklist adoptive parents complete. She gives advice on how to not feel overwhelmed while approaching this initial list in sections.

Medical Needs

Gladney Center for Adoption: “Adopting a Child With Special Needs and Disabilities”

This article discusses considerations potential parents must evaluate prior to adopting a child with special needs and/or disabilities. Subsections include understanding children with special needs and disabilities, what must be done before adopting a child with special needs, choosing an adoption agency, and more.

Trainings

Gladney Center for Adoption: “Why Are Foster Care and Adoption Training Required?”

This article explains why foster care and adoption training is required. It discusses pre-service training, foster parent in-service training, post-adoption training, kinship-specific training, and more. The author also provides general advice about learning through parenting experience and how it is a journey.

Race Education

The Seattle Times: “Adoption across races: ‘I know my parents love me, but they don’t love my people’”

“Adoptee Angela Tucker discusses how she felt like a racial impostor growing up. She explains that she may have looked Black, but didn’t feel that way.”

Media

NCFA: “Is Anyone Out There?: Finding Support as a Birth Mother”

“A first person perspective from a birth mother on adoption, loss, and finding support after birth. She explains the loss felt after placing her child for adoption, and how she found support by speaking with another mom experiencing the same feelings.”

Media

Creating a Family: “Helping Your Adopted Child Handle Adoption Microaggressions”

“Short article that identifies different variations of microaggressions that are particular to adoption. It also teaches strategies to instill confidence and coping strategies for children when handling microaggressions.”

Media

NCFA: “What You Should Know About Choosing Adoption”

“This article has short drop down answers to FAQs relating to questions birth parents and parents looking to adopt may have about adoption.”

Media

NCFA: “Being a Birth Mom Changed the Way I Parent”

A birth mom reflects on giving up her first daughter to adoption, and giving birth to two children after.

Resources