Children with disabilities are sometimes relinquished for adoption soon after birth as their parents feel unable to deal with the diagnosed disability, for example, Down's Syndrome, Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy. Others are placed in care when their parents later feel they are unable to cope with the care and emotional demands of a child with a disability.
Children with disabilities may be much slower in some aspects of their development than other children and may need intensive input from one or more of a range of services and programs throughout their lives. The children need their new families to be actively involved in their therapy programs and also to continue the programs at home
Special needs children waiting to be adopted may have mental, emotional or physical challenges to varying degrees. Severe physical disabilities can be present including cleft palate, allergies, correctable medical conditions to limb deformities, cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease, and those caused by drug or alcohol exposure. Children with emotional problems present more of a difficulty and are very hard to understand, as their outbursts and behaviors make it near impossible to get close enough to determine why they are the way they are.
There is a certain process and guidelines adoption agencies expect potential adoptive parents to undergo before being considered for adoption of a special needs child;
Parents must be:
· married a minimum of 1 year (singles will sometimes be accepted). · Parents should be at least 30 years of age. · No more than seven children currently in the home.
They must possess certain documents:
· Criminal History Check
· Child Abuse Check · Medical Forms
· Marriage License
· Birth Certificates
· References
· Adoption Homestudy
· Proof of Medical Insurance
Most of the required documents are the same for those wanting special needs children as those wishing to adopt normal functioning children.
As for the process, there are certain events adoptive parents of special needs children must go through before the fact:
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