Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 21 children, 13 of them adopted children with special needs. Tens of thousands of children in the United States alone are waiting in foster care for parents, and many Americans, single and married, want to open their hearts and homes to these children who wait. A landmark 1980 federal law made adopting and raising special needs children affordable even for people of limited means. What could be easier than matching these kids to these families? The reality is that many prospective adopters never complete the adoption process because of red tape, regulations, and institutional lethargy. Among the adults who complete a homestudy or placement, lack of support services and advocacy training sometimes leads to heartbreak and adoption failure—not a happy ending. Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 23 children, 14 of them adopted children with special needs.

This edited volume contains contributions from leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in adoption policy and practice. Topics covered include adoption advocacy, race and adoption, placement of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, adoptive parent recruitment, and policy related to federal adoption subsidy support. This collection brings together leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in the area of adoption policy and practice. All chapter contributors are nationally recognized leaders in their particular fields of expertise. Several have been instrumental in shaping public policy and legislation on behalf of special needs children and their families. Chapters cover the following topics: advocacy on behalf of special needs children, racial issues in the placement and adoption of special needs children, issues involved in the adoption of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, recruitment of adoptive parents for special needs children, and federal and state policy related to adoption subsidy support. The volume covers the key issues related to both practice and policy in child welfare. As such it is essential reading for professionals and policy makers in social/human services and child welfare. Scholars and other researchers in the field will also find the collection invaluable.

Be your child's best advocate! Children with special needs who succeed in school have one thing in common--their parents are passionate and effective advocates. It's not an easy job, but with The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education, you will learn how to evaluate, prepare, organize, and get quality services, no matter what your child's disability. This valuable handbook gives you the tools you need to navigate the complex world of special education and services, with information on: Assessment and evaluation Educational needs for different disabilities, including multiple disabilities Current law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Working within the school system to create an IEP The importance of keeping detailed records Dealing with parent-school conflict With worksheets, forms, and sample documents and letters, you can be assured that you'll have all you need to help your child thrive--in school and in life!

More than six million students in the U.S. receive special education services and that number is on the rise. Frequent changes in educational philosophy and special-education law have made it increasingly difficult for parents to establish an appropriate education plan for their children. This book looks at the many ways that parents can advocate for their children. including how to: Communicate with teachers Get homework done Become involved at school Ensure their children are well rested Start a school day on the right foot Advocacy comes in all forms, and sometimes itÆs as simple as helping people get to know their child and family in a positive way. This useful book will serve as an invaluable tool for parents looking to establish the best educational plan for their children.

Adoption is a life-long process, forever changing those it touches. The personal and intensely emotional stories related in this book illustrate the many aspects of adopting--the positive and the negative. The narratives include the experiences of children of all ages, their families, and the dedicated professionals who work in the adoption field, supporting them through every stage of their incredible journey.

This volume reports the results of a large-scale survey of families who adopted children with special needs: older children, minority children, handicapped children, or sibling groups. In contrast to much of the current literature which focuses on adoption disruption, this study shifts the focus of inquiry to intact families. It assesses perceptions of social work services, parent-child relationships, family functioning, child behavior, school performance, and other aspects of adoptive family life. Rosenthal and Groze compare outcomes for different types of adoptions, including adoptions of children of different ages, adoptions by minority families, transracial adoptions, single-parent adoptions, adoptions by less educated and less wealthy families, adoptions by foster parents, adoptions of children with handicaps, and sibling group adoptions. The authors offer solid advice, based on their sample of 800 respondents, regarding various aspects of practice in the field of adoption, including selection of families, preparation of families and children, and useful follow-up services. Special-Needs Adoption is an invaluable tool for agencies developing adoption programs, and practitioners seeking the latest information regarding adoptive family dynamics.