In 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day. So, in order to help spread awareness of Down syndrome in the adoption community, we’ve compiled a list of what to know during World Down Syndrome Day and how you can spread awareness among your friends and family. Whether you’re a hopeful adoptive parent who’s just curious about World Down Syndrome Day, or you’re thinking about adopting a child with Down syndrome, read on.
If you’re thinking about your preferences for adopting a child, you might have considered adopting a child with special needs, such as Down syndrome. Like with any child, it’s important to be fully prepared for this step in your parenting journey, as this is an incredibly big decision to make. While adopting a child with Down syndrome is absolutely rewarding, you definitely shouldn’t pick this route if you feel uncertain about whether or not you can provide for their needs as they grow up. Before adopting a child with Down syndrome, it’s important to be honest with yourself. If you’re serious about adopting a child with Down syndrome, here are some questions for a self‐evaluation:
You should be prepared to provide your child with more than enough opportunities to live a fulfilling and engaging life, regardless of whether or not they have Down syndrome. Every story is different, and each child is unique, so there isn’t a step‐by‐step guide to raising a child with Down syndrome. If you’re weighing all of your options, it’s very helpful to look at what it’s really like to adopt a child with Down syndrome along with other Down syndrome adoption stories.
Every year, there is a growing list of children with Down syndrome who are ready to meet their forever families. If you’re open to adopting a child with Down syndrome, and you’re prepared for everything that comes with it, let your adoption professional know. There are also many professionals that specialize in special needs adoptions and would be happy to provide additional resources.
If you’re not ready to adopt, but you’d still like to spread awareness on World Down Syndrome Day, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. You might think about sharing videos, fundraising with your family and friends, and taking the time to share your support through social media. It’s important to acknowledge the reality that people with Down syndrome will face numerous difficulties throughout their lives. If you’re thinking about adopting a child with Down syndrome, it’s important to do your part to spread awareness about World Down Syndrome Day as well.
Those looking to adopt internationally may find a more difficult process ahead of them as the Trump administration prepares to shutter all international offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna will transfer all USCIS duties from international employees to domestic offices and the State Department’s embassies and consulates. More than 20 offices — including those in New Delhi, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, Rome and other foreign cities — will be impacted by these changes. Cissna said in an email to staff that the office closings are designed to maximize USCIS’s resources. The changes will likely affect such processes as family visa applications, citizenship petitions from military members stationed abroad, and foreign adoption. Adoption professionals worry that the closing of USCIS offices will further slow the already complicated process of international adoption. “These are services that U.S. citizens are paying for,” Ryan Hanlon, vice president of the National Council For Adoption, told the Washington Post. He also noted that USCIS runs on fees from immigrants and U.S. citizens: “It shouldn’t be more complex.” Foreign adoption processes vary by country but, for many people in the process, having a local USCIS expert available abroad during these steps can be invaluable. In order to obtain a visa for an internationally adopted child, parents must be approved by USCIS before traveling to the country from which they will adopt. Once they arrive, they often need to complete a visa interview at the embassy or consulate within that country. Only after they have received a visa are they typically able to return back to the U.S. Obtaining all the documents necessary for reentry into the United States can be difficult, but it’s a process that most international USCIS offices currently complete. These offices also investigate fraud, aid asylees and refugees, and provide public information in local foreign languages. With the anticipated closings of these USCIS offices, it’s more important than ever that hopeful intended parents work with a qualified, Hague-approved adoption agency from the very beginning of their adoption process. Otherwise, they may find their adoption process in jeopardy after they have spent the time, effort and money to travel to a foreign country. Watch for updates from the Washington Post for other developments on these closings. For more information about international adoption, please contact your local adoption agency or USCIS.
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, officially recognized in 1987 by former President Ronald Regan, aims to increase awareness about Americans living with developmental disabilities. At Considering Adoption, it’s also an opportunity to spread awareness about the many opportunities and resources that exist for special needs adoptions. In honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, we’ve compiled a list of the most important things to know about special needs adoption for hopeful adoptive families and prospective birth mothers to help spread awareness about this amazing opportunity. For more resources, you can always ask your adoption professional for additional information.
There are plenty of adoptive families and prospective birth mothers who are curious about adopting or placing a child with developmental disabilities or other special needs, but don’t exactly know where to start. A special needs adoption will come with its own set of challenges, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be rewarding. If you’re considering a special needs adoption as an adoptive family, it’s helpful to learn more about the experience from others who have lived it, and to reach out to an adoption professional for support. Another thing worth mentioning: in adoption, the definition of “special needs” can vary. Although most people imagine that a child with special needs will have mental, emotional, or physical disabilities, this isn’t always the case. In fact, a child can be considered special needs if they’re an older child, part of a sibling group, have a medical condition, have a history of abuse or neglect, or from a specific ethnic background. Before moving forward with a special needs adoption, you should think about what exactly you’re open to.
If you’re a prospective adoptive family, you’ll have a lot of choices when it comes to your preferences for an adopted child. One of those choices will be deciding if you’re ready to raise a child with special needs. Of course, your personal experiences with special needs adoption will depend upon the child you plan to adopt. Before committing to a special needs adoption, here are some questions that you should think about for a self‐assessment:
We hope that these questions don’t scare you off from pursuing a special needs adoption. When it comes to this type of adoption, the most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Adopting a special needs child is a life‐long commitment, and you may want to think twice if you’re feeling uncertain. We can’t promise you that a special needs adoption will always be easy, but this is an extremely rewarding route for many families if you are considering it.
When you’re a woman considering adoption, it can be stressful and overwhelming to think about placing your baby up for adoption when they have special needs. You might be thinking, “Will I be able to find an adoptive family who wants to adopt a special needs child?” and “Will an adoptive family be able provide everything they’ll need as they grow up?” Adoption is just as much of a possibility for you as it is for any woman. You will absolutely be able to find supportive adoptive parents who will love your child just as much as you do. Your adoption professional will work with you to find the perfect family, help you create the perfect adoption plan, and will be by your side from beginning to end. This decision will be extremely personal and emotional, so you’ll absolutely need a strong support system by your side. You can always lean on your adoption specialist, as well as your family and friends, for guidance. Always remember, choosing adoption for your baby is not “giving up.” Your decision for your baby simply means that you’re making the brave and selfless choice to find a family who can provide your child with all of the love and support they’ll need. If you are considering adoption for your baby, there are several professionals who specialize in the placement of special needs children, such as:
Whether you are a prospective birth mother or a hopeful adoptive family, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is a great time to familiarize yourself with the special needs adoption options that are available to you. If you are interested in pursuing a special needs adoption, this can be an amazing and life-changing journey. As with all other types of adoptions, the best place to start is by contacting an adoption professional.
Building the family of your dreams is an amazing opportunity, but there’s one practical aspect that you don’t want to forget — and that’s paying for your adoption! If you’re looking for articles that can help explain why adoptions tend to cost so much, the common types of adoption fees, and so much more, then you’re in the right place. Below, find some of the best articles and resources to help you prepare for the costs of adoption.
While some adoptive families might have the funds to support their adoption dreams from the get‐go, others might need additional support to make their dreams of raising family come true — and that’s completely understandable. Affording adoption is one of the biggest concerns for many adoptive families, and it can be intimidating to come up with the costs on your own. Even though it may be a difficult journey, we hope that these articles show that affording adoption is more than possible.
With the right tools, budgeting for your adoption is more than possible. Don’t let the costs of an adoption deter you from this life‐changing opportunity. If you’re having trouble finding additional resources, reach out to an adoption professional for more information.
If you don’t have much experience with adoption, you may have been guilty of unknowingly spreading misconceptions about adoption and the people who were adopted. How can you fix it? Take some time to educate yourself and listen. Adoptees (and everyone in the adoption triad) will thank you for it.
Let’s start with these five things adoptees want you to know:
There are so many different ways to be an adoptee, and it can color a person’s relationship with their adoption in different ways. There are foster care adoptees, international adoptees, transracial adoptees, domestic adoptees, open and closed adoptees from very different eras, combinations of these, and even more ways to have been adopted.
That means that a person’s experiences with adoption will be different from one adoptee to the next, and likewise, their emotions will vary. Some adoptees have overwhelmingly positive feelings about their adoption, while others have primarily negative emotions. Most adoptees fall somewhere in between.
People tend to default to domestic infant adoptions when talking about adoption, because it’s such a common family-building method today, but please don’t forget to acknowledge all adoptees and all experiences.
For people who have never been touched by adoption, their image of adoption usually involves a baby or a young child. But that baby grows up, and that adult still has a relationship with adoption.
This means that you should always consider the lasting effects on a person when you speak about adoption. People both inside and outside the adoption triad need to learn how to speak about adoption (and teach their children about adoption!) so that they don’t accidentally say something damaging to a young adoptee that could affect them into adulthood.
Adoption is a joyful thing: adoptees gain a family. Adoption is a painful thing: adoptees lose a family. Adoption is both of these things, and adoptees want you to acknowledge that.
Always remember that everyone involved in an adoption had to lose something precious in order to gain something precious before you inadvertently say something harmful like, “Your child is lucky to have you,” to an adoptive parent. An adoptee will hear it and know you don’t understand that they feel both joy and loss.
Many adoptees avoid talking about their adoption, searching for birth family (or they worry about birth parent visits if they have an open adoption), asking questions or otherwise expressing an interest in their personal history for fear of hurting their (adoptive) parents’ feelings. Adoptees love their parents, but some have a deep-rooted fear that their parents will abandon them if they do something wrong, even if their parents have always been very reassuring to the contrary. And nobody wants to hurt the feelings of a loved one.
However, adoptees want you to know that if they express an interest in their adoption or birth family, it does not mean that they love their family any less, or that they feel their family is somehow lacking.
Many of the resources, articles and conversations out there are aimed at birth and adoptive parents. This makes sense to some degree — adoptees start out as babies or children and aren’t always initially involved in the wider conversation. But that brings us back to #2… adoptees grow up. When they do, many would like to be included, considered and listened to in the adoption discourse.
Not all adult adoptees feel the need to talk about their adoption much, and that’s fine. For others, it’s a more front-and-center part of their identity, and that’s fine, too. But if any adoptee wishes to talk, those within the adoption community should immediately make room for them to be heard and feel seen.
—
Whether you’re a member of the adoption triad, or you’re someone who’s never had much experience with adoption, adoptees (and therefore the entire adoption community) can benefit from you learning how to speak about their adoption with respect and kindness!
Check back at the Considering Adoption Blog soon to find out what birth mothers want you to know and what adoptive parents want you to know.
If you’re an LGBT individual, you might have thought about starting a family through adoption. This is an amazing way to make your family dreams come true, but you probably have a lot of questions about the process. If so, there are plenty of articles that go in‐depth about what to expect. To help you get started, here are some of the best resources for LGBT families who are ready to start the adoption process.
If you’re new to adoption as an LGBT couple, or if you’re a prospective birth mother who is looking to find LGBT families for her baby, you might be curious about all of your options. Below is a list of some of our favorite articles on LGBT adoption for beginners.
While an LGBT adoption is very similar to a heterosexual adoption, you may have some questions about what some of the differences are. The best place to start getting the facts about LGBT adoptions is right here.
We hope that these articles helped provide some insight into the world of LGBT adoptions. Although there will be certain unique challenges as an LGBT couple that you should be aware of, there are many ways to prepare before you begin your adoption story. Remember, no two adoptions are ever the same, and your story will be as unique as you are. If you’re looking for more same-sex adoption resources, you can always check out LGBT stories from real couples who made their adoption dreams come true. There’s nothing quite like reading LGBT adoption stories from couples who have gone through the whole experience from beginning to end.
The first thing you should know about birth mothers is this: no two birth mothers are alike. There is no “typical” birth mother, so shake any stereotype you might have. Their experiences with adoption are all unique, but no less valid. That being said, most birth moms will share a few common threads. Most people who have never been touched by adoption don’t know these things about birth mothers, and it can be frustrating for birth moms (and everyone in the adoption triad) to see misconceptions being circulated. So here’s your opportunity to learn. These five things may seem simple, but it’s important that you understand this about birth mothers:
Never for a moment are children placed for adoption unloved or unwanted. Their birth parents love them. Their adoptive parents love them. Birth and adoptive families have always loved their children and will always love them. Choosing adoption wouldn’t be possible if birth moms loved their children any less, because adoption means putting the needs of your child above your own. Birth moms never stop thinking about their children, nor do they stop loving them.
“Giving up” for adoption is a common phrase, but in no way does a woman “give up” when she chooses adoption for her child. These are hurtful phrases that make it sound as if birth moms carelessly set aside their children, which couldn’t be further from the truth. When a woman decides to place her child for adoption, it’s after a great deal of thought, heartache and painstaking consideration. She then carefully chooses the family who will raise her baby. Never make it seem as if this were the easy choice for birth mothers, because it was the hardest choice.
Most birth moms will, in time, find peace and acceptance with their decision. They’re happy that their child is being raised by loving parents. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t still grieve the loss of their child. Remember that the birth mom’s entire family (her parents, grandparents, siblings, other children, etc.) all lost out on the chance to love and know this baby, and may grieve that loss, too. There are so many joys in adoption, but there are also losses experienced by everyone. One of those losses is the loss of the birth mother’s opportunity to raise her child. That loss never goes away, and birth moms may grieve in different ways, and in their own time. Understand that even though a birth mother may not regret her decision, she can still grieve her loss.
Today, 9 out of 10 adoptions are open, meaning birth parents have some kind of contact with their child and their child’s parents. An open adoption relationship usually sparks a lot of questions from people who don’t know much about adoption. Open adoptions can mean whatever the people in that adoption want it to mean. For birth moms, it absolutely does not mean that they’re trying to step on the toes of the adoptive parents. Everyone involved can benefit from a positive open adoption relationship, especially the child, and that’s what’s most important.
Placing a baby for adoption is still fairly stigmatized. Birth moms may have faced pressure to raise the baby themselves, or to have a family member raise the baby, when they already had their hearts set on adoption. She may have made this difficult choice without the much-needed support of her friends, family or community. She may still keep her brave journey a secret because she’s worried it’ll change someone’s opinion of her. More than anything else, birth moms want their children’s adoptive parents to speak well of them to their children. Many birth mothers fear that their child will not understand why they were placed for adoption. Some birth moms worry that their baby’s parents won’t talk about her at all — that she’ll be erased from their family’s story. Birth moms hope that their children’s parents respect them, and that they talk about adoption (and birth parents) with their child with a tone of love and respect.
If you don’t have any experience with adoption, please continue to learn about this common way families come together. Birth mothers (and all members of the adoption triad) will thank you for speaking respectfully and from a place of education about adoption! Want to learn more about what adoption is like from the eyes of a birth mother? Follow ‘Thoughts from a Birth Mother’ for one birth mom’s perspective. Check back at the Considering Adoption Blog soon to find out what adoptees want you to know and what adoptive parents want you to know.
In this season of love, adoption ranks at the top of our list of things we adore. The passion our family has for adoption and the love it brings to us and through us is one of the dearest treasures we will possess in our lifetime. Its impact on our life and the lives of the ones around us will be a glimmer of love shining bright in a world full of clichéd feelings and admiration. For this season, we will remember our top five loves of adoption for us and those we know who have been affected by adoption.
The opportunity for multiple families to offer love for a child, whether the child is biologically connected to you or comes home through adoption, sparks joy in the anticipation of relationships that could flourish. Most adoption experts will recommend an open adoption for families involved so that relationships can be maintained throughout a child’s life. This has not only proven to be healthier and more beneficial for the child, but it allows the (birth and adoptive) family members to extend grace and appreciation to one another. Each family learns to value the members that make up the support system that loves and sacrifices for the child and exhibits hope for the future.
Love in action is a great description of what adoption is. Our family has experienced a perspective shift from focusing on our daily selfish desires to seeing the world through the eyes of a birth mother, an adopted child, and those bystanders who witness an adoption story. We see a need for the lesson of love and compassion that adoption conveys as well as our responsibility to proclaim the importance of adoption and its impact on all those involved. This perspective shift has allowed us to be less inwardly focused and see how adoption has impressed such valuable understandings of life and love on our family.
Our joy does not depend on our circumstances. We have seen many of the highs and lows of what adoption brings, and we know that adoption does not always produce only happy moments. There can be anxiety or stress, fear or sadness, discouragement or confusion. But we know that in all of these conditional feelings, joy represents adoption as a whole. We remain in our joy because we know the unhappy moments don’t define us or our story; our joy is constant because we know adoption will produce the love that runs deeper than a situational grief. Unhappiness does not ruin circumstances, but rather places us in a position to appreciate the love that is unconditional.
Adoption is teaching our girls the deepest ideas of love and true beauty. As parents, we strive to foster the innocence of a child’s love and take opportunities to help them flourish in their purest form. In our conversations about adoption with our daughters, we get to focus on sharing the love from our family with another baby and her family who needs it. We also get to demonstrate love in action for our girls for a baby and family who may not look like us, have the same background or interests as us, or even carry similar ideas of family. We have the opportunity to meld our devotions with another family and create a love story that will leave an impact on our girls and how they love in the future.
Probably the greatest love of our family’s adoption is that it allows us to share our story with others. Our adoption love story started way back when my husband and I started dating and shared our desire for adoption someday in our future. Today, we have come so far from those late-night conversations to the reality of our adoption process and all that has happened to bring us to this point. We take pride in being able to share the details of our story with others to inspire them with a beautiful love, a thought of how their family can assist in adoption in some way, and to bring hope and encouragement in an otherwise dismal world. We always pray that by sharing our story we can somehow impact another’s life for the better.
Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.
If finding the best informative open adoption articles feels like looking for a needle in a haystack, then we’ve got you covered. Here is our guide to some of the best open adoption articles for everyone in the adoption triad — along with what makes each of them so helpful when preparing for an open adoption.
Choosing adoption for your baby doesn’t mean that you won’t play an important role in your child’s life. If you’re curious about the lifelong benefits of an open adoption, here are some great articles for women considering adoption:
Your adoption professional can tell you everything you need to know about an open adoption. But what about the personal experiences from women just like you? Adoption testimonials from birth mothers describe the feelings that you might be going through right now, along with how their lives have changed since they placed their children for adoption.
There are unbelievable benefits to choosing open adoption as a birth mother. But what about open adoption when you’re an adoptive family? If you’re worried about choosing this type of post‐placement contact, we hope that these articles will help clarify some things.
Does the idea of an open adoption make you feel just a tad bit wary? If so, the best way to understand the open adoption process is to read about it from adoptive families who’ve lived through it. Here are some of the best testimonials to help put your mind at ease that we recommend for adoptive families new to adoption.
Every open adoption is different — especially for adoptees. If you’re an adult who’s looking for informational resources and stories you can relate to, below are some of our favorite open adoption articles.
Your open adoption story will be as unique as you are. While this list might not have every open adoption article on it, we hope that it gave you some great ideas and inspiration for what your open adoption can look like.
