Adoption ABCs Post-script #3: Special Needs Adoption

Special needs adoption is another important topic. The designation "special needs" encompasses a wide array of children's characteristics that present unique challenges to their development. According to the Michigan Adoption Resources Exchange (MARE), children with special needs waiting to be adopted may include any of the following:

• Children who may have emotional, learning, physical or mental impairments
• Children who must be placed in the same home along with their brothers and/or sisters
• Minority children of all ages
• Older children over the age of five years old

As mentioned yesterday, MARE "is an information and referral service for prospective adoptive parents interested in adopting children with 'special needs,' and for adoption workers looking for homes for these children. The MARE website provides a photolisting of waiting Michigan children and of Michigan families interested in adopting children with special needs."

Other states provide similar listings for families interested in opening their homes to children with special needs.

Adoption.com has a section dedicated to adopting children with special needs and provides other important resources relating to helping children with special needs find a permanent loving home.