…because every child deserves a family
Children with special needs are first and foremost just children. Making the decision to adopt any child requires education and research.
Common special needs
Below are some common special needs for reference purposes only. We highly recommend speaking with an experienced physician for details on each condition.
- Alcohol and Drug Exposure
Drug Exposure, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Being a Boy
While not a “special need” in the traditional sense, many people don’t realize that far more families are open to adopting a girl internationally than a boy. - Blood Conditions
Hemophilia, Lead Poisoning, Thalassemia - Chromosome Disorders
Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome - Congenital Heart Defects
Atrial Septal Defect, Complete Transposition of the Great Arteries, Double Outlet Right Ventricle, Endocardial Cushion Defect, Patent Foramen Ovale, Pulmonary Atresia, Tetralogy of Fallot - Craniofacial Conditions
Cleft Lip and Palate, Hemifacial Microsomia, Microtia - Developmental Needs
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Institutional Autism
- Digestive System Conditions
Imperforate Anus, Gastroschisis, Megacolon, Pyloric Stenosis - Infectious Diseases
Congenital Syphilis, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Meningitis, Polio, Tuberculosis - Metabolic Disorders
- Diabetes, Failure to Thrive, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Phenylketonuria
- Neurological Conditions
- Apraxia of Speech, Arachnoid Cyst, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Hydrocephalus, Spina Bifida
- Orthopedic Conditions
Amniotic Band Syndrome, Arthrogryposis, Brachial Plexus Injury, Club Feet, Dwarfism, Fibular/Tibular Hemimelia, Funnel Chest/Pigeon Breast, Hip Dysplasia, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Radial Club Hand, Rickets, Syndactyly, Torticollis
- Sensory Conditions
Blindness/Visual Impairment, Cataracts, Deafness, Glaucoma, Microphthalmia, Nystagmus, Ptosis, Sensory Processing Disorder, Strabismus - Skin Conditions
Albinism, Burns, Congenital Blue Nevus, Congenital Nevus Birthmark, Eczema, Ichthyosis, Scabies - Trauma
- Urogenital Conditions
Ambiguous Genitalia, Anorchism, Concealed Penis, Cryptorchidism, Hypospadias, Polycystic Kidney Disease - Vascular Conditions
Hemangioma, Lymphedema, Port Wine Stain
Resources
It is important for families to be as prepared and educated as possible in order to help their new child reach their fullest potential. The resource list below is provided as a courtesy to potential adoptive parents. All submissions were provided either directly by the entity listed or from adoptive families.
LWB has not verified the below information and does not endorse any book, group, physician, or medical facility.
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Book list
- Adopting the Hurt Child: Hope for Families with Special Needs Kids, Gregory Keck and Robin Kupecky
- Adopting the Older Child, Claudia Jewett
- Adoption Parenting, Jean McLeod
Over 100 contributors helped EMK Press compile advice specifically for adoptive parents. - Attachment Trauma and Healing: Understanding and Treating Attachment Disorder in Children and Families, Terry Levy and Michael Orlans
- Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children with Severe Behaviors, Heather T. Forbes and B. Bryan Post
- Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects on Raising Internationally Adopted Children, Cheri Register
A collection of essays with an honest look at some of the issues that transracial and international adoptive parents must face. - The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
- Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children, Daniel Hughes
- China Ghosts: My Daughter’s Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood, Jeff Gammage
- The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family, Dr. Karyn Purvis
- The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment, Dr. Karyn Purvis
- Damaged Angels: An Adoptive Mother Discovers the Tragic Toll of Alcohol in Pregnancy, Bonnie Buxton
- The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity, Nadine Burke Harris
- Dim Sum, Bagels and Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families, Myra Alperson
Written by a Jewish mother of a Chinese daughter, drawing on extensive interviews of transracial families. - Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict, Becky A. Bailey
- From Fear to Love: Your Essential Guide to Parenting Adopted and Foster Children, B. Bryan Post
- The Handbook of International Adoption, Dr. Laurie Miller
An overview of medical and developmental issues affecting internationally adopted children; provides guidelines for physicians and families before, during, and after adoption. - How To Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- Inside Transracial Adoption, Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall
Designed to support transracial parents during that lifelong learning process. Includes real-life examples and specific strategies for success. Written primarily from the perspective of Caucasian parents adopting African American children domestically. - I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from Korean Birthmothers to Their Children, Sara Dorow
- A Long Way Home: A Boy’s Incredible Journey from India to Australia and Back Again, Saroo Brierly
- Love in the Driest Season, Neely Tucker
A family’s memoir of adoption from Zimbabwe. - Make Me a Mother, Susan Antonetta
A memoir written by the author describing her adoption from Korea. - The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol Dependency and the Vulnerable Child, Ira Chasnoff
- Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience after Neglect and Trauma, Deborah Gray
- Once They Hear My Name: Korean Adoptees and Their Journeys Toward Identity, Ellen Lee, Marilyn Lammert, and Mary Ann Hess
- Our Own: Adopting and Parenting the Older Child, Trish Maskew
This book thoroughly explores both the joys and the challenges of older child adoption, whether domestically or internationally. - The Out-Of-Sync Child Grows Up: Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder in the Adolescent and Young Adult Years, Carol Kranowitz
- The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, Carol Kranowitz
- The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Carol Kranowitz
- The Post-Adoption Blues: Overcoming the Unforeseen Challenges of Adoption, Karen J. Foli and John R. Thompson
A compassionate, illuminating, and ultimately uplifting book that openly recognizes the very normal feelings of stress that adoptive families encounter as they cope with the challenges and expectations of their new families. - Parenting Children With Health Issues: Essential Tools, Tips, and Tactics for Raising Kids with Chronic Illness, Medical Conditions, and Special Healthcare Needs, Foster W. Cline and Lisa Greene
- Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child: From Your First Hours Together Through The Teen Years, Patty Cogen
- Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How To Stop Yelling and Start Connecting, Dr. Laura Markhkam
- Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life, Dr. Laura Markham
- Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder, Dr. Lucy Jane Miller
Dr. Miller brings together a lifetime of study to teach parents and others the signs and symptoms of SPD and its four major subtypes; ways the disorder is diagnosed and treated; sensory strategies for living with the condition; and methods to help SPD kids thrive. - Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too, Adele Farber and Elaine Mazlish
- Special Needs, Special Families, Avis Coleman
This book is a compilation of stories about families who struggled with the health or development of a child and turned their efforts into triumphs. - Traumatic Experience and the Brain: A Handbook For Understanding and Treating Those Traumatized as Children, Dave Ziegler
- The Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting, Sally Donovan
- Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries, Susan Soon-Keum Cox
A collection of works by adult adoptees adopted from Korea. - A Wealth of Family: An Adopted Son’s International Quest for Heritage, Reunion and Enrichment, Thomas Brooks
- What Happened To You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry
- The Whole Brain Child, Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
In this practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer an approach to child-rearing with 12 key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. - W.IS.E. Up! Powerbook, created by The Center for Adoption Support and Education
- Wounded Children Healing Homes: How Traumatized Children Impact Foster and Adoptive Families, Jayne Schooler and Betsey Keefer Smalley
Online book resources:
- EMK Press, Adoption Books and Resources
- Tapestry Books, International Adoption Archives
- Woodbine House, Publisher of the Special Needs Collection
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Community resources
- Best Buddies
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Center for Attachment & Trauma Therapy
Lynne Lyon, MSW, LCSW, is an adoptive mother, has been an attachment advocate and educator since 1999. She is the founder of Attach-China/International Parent’s Network, a website and online support group for parents whose internationally and domestically adopted children suffer from attachment impairment, trauma, and the effects of institutionalization. While based in New Jersey, she does offer phone and Skype consultations as well. - Council for Exceptional Children
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Early Intervention Services
These services are typically available for children through the age of three who need extra developmental assistance at little to no cost through your state EIS programs. Each state’s programs differ, so be sure to check guidelines for your specific state. -
Easter Seals
Easter Seals provides services, education, outreach, and advocacy to help people special needs live, learn, work and play in their communities. Easter Seals has a Child Development Center Network which provides inclusive child care for children with special needs. They serve thousands of children in a setting where children with disabilities and special needs comprise 25 percent of enrollment and provide resources to help them become as independent as possible. -
Families with Children from China (FCC) Greater New York
FCC is a network of parent support groups sharing the following three goals: to support families who’ve adopted in China through post-adoption and Chinese culture programs; to encourage adoption from China and support waiting families; and to advocate for and support children remaining in orphanages in China. FCC groups typically are involved with some of the following type activities: newsletters, membership directories, family picnics and potluck suppers, celebrations of Chinese festivals and holidays, pre-adoption information meetings, playgroups, Chinese language and culture classes for children, parent speakers, etc. - Family Voices
- Federation for Children with Special Needs
- Friendship Circle
- Government Services for Children with Disabilities
Includes child care options, child protective services, child support enforcement, money management, financial assistance for families, health insurance programs, mental health services, health and safety resources. - The M.O.R.G.A.N. Project
- Move United
- National Youth Leadership Network
- Pacer Center
- Parent to Parent USA
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Medical resources
- American Academy of Pediatrics Adoption Directory
Searchable directory for pediatricians with specialty in adoption/foster care - Boston Children’s Hospital
Dr. Albers-Prock -
Brenner Children’s Hospital
Brenner Children’s Hospital has physicians representing all medical and surgical specialties. -
The Center for Adoption Medicine
The center has three pediatricians that specialize in adoption medicine: Julia Bledsoe, MD, Julian Davies, MD, and Cynthia Kertesz, MD. They perform pre-adoption consultations by telephone for families adopting from abroad or domestically. They also provide post-placement evaluations and ongoing pediatric care at their Seattle clinic. -
Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s Hospital Colorado has been ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report every year since the inception of its pediatric hospital rankings edition in 1993. In 2012, five of Children’s specialty areas were among the country’s top 10, including diabetes and endocrinology (4), pulmonology (7), cancer (8),orthopedics (9) and gastroenterology (10). Children’s also ranked among the top 10 on the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital’s 2012-13 Honor Roll. -
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has an International Adoption Health Program which provides pre and post-adoption services to families. They offer child referral reviews and consults on medical and developmental concerns. -
Children’s Medical Center-Dallas, TX
Children’s provides patient care for a wide range of health conditions. It ranked in the top 10 in the nation in 3 areas – Orthopedics, Nephrology and Urology in the new 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals from U.S.News & World Report. Children’s is also a major pediatric kidney, liver, intestine, heart and bone marrow transplant center. It is the primary pediatric teaching facility for The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
International Adoption Center -
Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care
This website by the American Academy of Pediatrics has a search feature to help parents find specialists familiar with adoption issues located near them. -
Heartpedia – Mobile App
To educate families about the heart, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center offers an interactive, 3D app for iPhones and iPads. The app shows anatomically accurate images of congenital heart defects and repairs of those defects. Heartpedia is free. -
International Craniofacial Institute
The International Craniofacial Institute, led by Dr. David G. Genecov, is recognized nationwide as one of the most advanced centers for craniofacial and cleft lip and palate repair. They have treated over 17,000 patients from more than 30 countries and strive to provide aesthetic and functional correction, practical instruction, and real hope. They have been offering their services to patients and their families for nearly 40 years. -
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Children’s Hospital ranked in the top 10 for 2012 in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s Best Children’s Hospitals in Urology, Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Neonatology, Cancer, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics and Pulmonology. - Nemours Children’s Health
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Pediatric Surgery
This helpful website from UCSF Pediatric Surgery lists and explains pediatric conditions amendable to pediatric surgical treatment. -
Pull-Thru Network
Pull-thru Network (PTN) was founded in 1988 and has grown to be one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to the needs of those born with an anorectal malformation or colon disease and any of the associated diagnoses. -
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is a dedicated pediatric hospital in the Cleveland, OH area. For the fifth consecutive year in the U.S.News & World Report’s annual rankings, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital ranked among the top five children’s hospitals for the care of newborns in its neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital also ranked in the top 10 for Pulmonology and Orthopedics. -
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners provides the highest quality care to children with cleft lip and palate, burn injuries, orthopedic special needs and spinal cord injuries. -
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital
Texas Scottish Rite treats Texas children with orthopedic conditions, such as scoliosis, clubfoot, hand disorders, hip disorders and limb length differences, as well as certain related neurological disorders and learning disorders, such as dyslexia. -
United Ostomy Associations of America
This site provides information about ostomies; answers questions about nutrition and intimacy; and provides useful knowledge about being an ostomate.
International Adoption Clinics by State
Alabama
Children’s Hospital of Alabama Adoption ClinicCalifornia
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, International Adoption Clinic
UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, International Adoption ClinicIllinois
University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital Adoption CenterIndiana
Riley Children’s Hospital, International Adoption ClinicMaryland
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Adoption ClinicMinnesota
University of Minnesota Adoption Medicine ClinicMissouri
SMM Health Glennon Children’s Hospital FACES, Adoption ClinicOhio
Akron Children’s Hospital Adoption Health Services
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital International Adoption Center
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children Adoption Health ServicesPennsylvania
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia International Adoption Health ProgramRhode Island
Hasbro Children’s Hospital Lifespan International Adoption ClinicSouth Carolina
Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Health International Adoption ClinicTexas
Children’s Health International Adoption Medicine
Texas Children’s Hospital International Adoption DepartmentVirginia
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU International Adoption Clinic
University of Virginia International Adoption ClinicWashington
University of Washington Medicine Adoption DoctorWisconsin
Children’s Wisconsin International Adoption Program - American Academy of Pediatrics Adoption Directory
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Online resources
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Attach-China/International
This organization is devoted to educating parents of internationally adopted children about post-adoption issues, especially those related to Reactive-Attachment Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. -
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE)
This nonprofit group’s mission is to strengthen the well-being of foster and adoptive families, promote adoption awareness, enhance adoption sensitivity, and develop the skills for professionals and families to empower children to thrive. -
Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care
Associated with the American Academy of Pediatrics, this group is dedicated to improving the health and well being of children and youth in foster care, kinship care, and those who have been adopted. -
Creating a Family
This nonprofit group is dedicated to providing unbiased accurate education and support for infertility or adoption. -
International Child Amputee Network (I-CAN)
I-CAN was established to provide information and support to children with absent or underdeveloped limbs and their parents. -
KidsHealth
KidsHealth provides information and support for a variety of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens. Information is presented in three sections for parents, children, and teens. -
LWB Community Blog
Love Without Boundaries’ blog, LWB Community, features stories on various topics related to adoption and the children served by LWB programs. -
Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic website offers a database of thousands of medical conditions, providing descriptions, symptoms, treatment options, and prognoses. -
RainbowKids.com
This site provides adoption information, adoption articles, and waiting child photolistings. -
Special Education Guide
The Special Education Guide is a go-to resource for mastering the terminology, procedures, and best practices in special education so that parents and teachers have the right information, tools, and support to help children with special needs unleash their full potential. -
Special Needs Parenting Handbook
Published by Cheri Larson, this online handbook offers resources for parents at every stage of the journey of caring for their special needs children… from learning more about special needs to picking a school, planning a financial future, and getting past the bullying and discrimination that so often plague people with special needs. -
US Department of State
All U.S. families who wish to bring home a child from a foreign country must gain approval through the Citizen and Immigration services. The U.S. Department of State has an adoption resources page to help walk you through the legal steps required by the U.S. government. -
US Immigration: A How to for International Adoptions
From this website: “Adoption is a highly compassionate and rewarding act and in recent years it has become more and more popular to adopt from foreign countries. This process presents its own difficulties and complications and it requires prospective parents to spend quite a bit of time researching so that they can be sure that everything develops smoothly. At the end of this article you can find a list of useful links as a jumping-off point for your research.” -
VACTERL Association Support Group
This group is a support group dedicated to helping families affected by VACTERL/VATER Association. The word VACTERL is made up of the areas that are affected by the condition, with each letter standing for a particular area affected (vertebral, anal, cardio, tracheo-esophageal, renal, limb).
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Post-adoption resources
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Adoption Nutrition
Created by the SPOON Foundation, this site states it is the go-to nutrition and feeding resource for adoptive and foster families. -
Adoption Parenting Pathways
This site offers a searchable database to help parents find adoption-related information and support. Information about adoption camps, retreats, therapists, and support groups is available. - ATTACh
National and international coalition of parents, professionals and caregivers with the know-how to increase awareness and understanding about attachment and its critical importance in human development. -
Connect-A-Kid
This organization is committed to providing adopted kids everywhere with a safe and monitored mentorship program that provides a comfortable outlet to which they can look for support, advice, or companionship from someone who understands what it means to be adopted. -
Dave Thomas Foundation
This online publication is a step-by-step guide to post-adoption and includes information on how to find and use resources after bringing your child home. -
Parenting After Adoption
This resource provides information about post-adoption services, adoption and developmental stages, adoption and school, helping children cope with grief and loss, therapy, lifebooks, postadoption depression, talking about adoption, and more. -
North American Council on Adoptable Children
NACAC’s parent group database contains almost 900 adoption-related support groups from across the United States and Canada. You can search the database by state or province, or by the type of group or the group’s activity. -
Post-Permanency Services for Pennsylvanians
Post-adoption services are provided to all adoptive families without charge through the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). The services available are case advocacy, respite and support groups, and each lasts for six months. -
Selecting and Working With a Therapist Skilled in Adoption
This fact sheet offers information on the different ypes of therapy and providers available to help,and it offers suggestions on how to find an appropriate therapist. -
The TCU Institute of Child Development
This organization strives to help children suffering the effects of early trauma, abuse or neglect and provides many resources for parents, including videos, seminars, DVDs, and books. -
The Theraplay Institute
This group is about “building better relationships” and offers training, therapy services, and information resources.
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Waiting child videos
LWB’s Waiting Child videos include a focus on adopting children with the below special needs:
- Albinism
- Heart defect
- Spina bifida
- Thalassemia
as well as “Adopting a Boy.”
Additional information
While LWB is not an adoption agency, we are passionate about helping children find permanent families whenever possible, whether through domestic or international adoption. Contact our adoption support volunteers for information on getting started or with basic questions.