Adoption Resources Links

On this page you will find links for the following subjects (all external except for *). A next to a link indicates that it has been added in the last month.

General Adoption Sites
International Adoption Sites
Eastern European Sites
Special Needs Resources
Financial Resources
School Issues

Links to General Adoption Sites

There are several massive sites with information on getting started with adoption (not necessarily international), lists of agencies with links, and lists of support groups and e-mail lists.

Adopting.com- Internet Adoption Resources. This is the first one I found when I was getting started. Very nice site.
Adoption.com which has a section on International Adoption and Kazakhstan adoption
Adopting.org.
Child Welfare Information Gateway (formerly NAIC), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)

Adoption Learning Partners online courses such as Journey of Attachment, Lifetime of Family Conversations, Preparation Guide to International Adoption, Finding the Missing Pieces, Becoming Your Child's Best Advocate, With Eyes Wide Open and Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit. Most of the courses are free, and you can pay to get a certificate of completion.

EMK Press Adoption Publishing Company. You can order books and download parent guides and resources, such as Top Ten Hints for a successful first year parenting and Preparing chldren for racism, A Gift Only Adoptees Can Give (about how important it is for adoptees to have contact with other adoptees), and Toddler Travel. They also have a book list for different ages. Click on the link for their book Adoption Parenting to access the article Why Grandma can't pick up the babythat you can give to relatives. Check out the School Resources for articles that you can give to teachers.

BGCenter Online school offers online courses especially for parents adopting older children; you can get a certificate of completion which might satisfy some agencies requirements for parent education. Adoption Articles Directory offers many articles, mostly written by professionals, covering a variety of topics. Both of these sites are hosted by Boris Gindis, a psychologist specializing in international adopiton issues.

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute: non-profit organization whose focus is on public policy, media, legislation, and public education concerning adoption. You can sign up to receive an e-newsletter.

Adoption Clubhouse, a website about adoption for adopted children; famous people, homework help (family tree project, life books, school projects about birth countries), library (books about adoption), adoption talk (answers to common questions, message board, terminology), and a section for parents.

Thinking of Adopting offers telecourses and webinars on pre- and post-adoption issues. They are always adding new ones, so keep checking back.

Heart of the Matter Seminars "Empowering adoptive families through education." Completion of the Because They Waited course may fulfill some adoption agencies' requirement for pre-adoption training.

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Links to International Adoption Sites

Karen's Adoption Links: links to lots of areas concerning adoption; adoption stories, organizations and statistics, listservs, medical, parenting issues, language, multicultural items, funding and benefits, country-specific information, etc.

Rainbow Kids is an online international adoption magazine with articles covering a variety of subjects and countries. Be sure to check their back issues. They have recently launched Voices of Adoption which contains articles from many adoptive parents and adoption experts.

Council On Accreditation is the organization that that is responsible for the accrediting of agencies for the implementation of the Hague Treaty.

JCICS the Joint Council on international children's services. It is an affiliation of licensed, nonprofit international adoption agencies working to protect the rights of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents. On the web site you will find their standards of practice, a list of member agencies, legislative and country updates, articles, and links to other websites and organizations.

Research concerning international adoption

Association for Research in International Adoption "is a central location that seeks to disseminate the findings of research to the international adoption community. The site also contains links for adoptive parents to learn more about the issues that may impact internationally adopted children."
Survey of families who adopted children from Eastern European orphanages; March, 1998.
Rainbow House International post adoption survery in September 1997.
Language Development in internationally adopted children; by a speech language pathologist and Russian adoptive mom.
The State of Knowledge of Foreign Adoptions research projects based in Scandinavia.
International Adoption Project at the University of Minnestota; initially done in 2001, they have ongoing studies.
Adoption Council of Canada research links
Providence College research study focused on older-child and sibling groups.
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has a searchable research database.
Wisconsin International Adoption Project
Floating Hospital for Children conducts research projects.
Providing a secure base: Parenting children in long-term foster family care, an article published in Attachment & Human Development, volume 7, number 1, in March 2005. "This paper reports on a longitudinal study of children growing up in long-term foster family care. It focuses attention on the challenges for foster carers in providing a secure base for foster children in middle childhood and early adolescence, who have come predominantly from backgrounds of abuse, neglect, and psychosocial adversity. Separation and loss in the children's lives, often through multiple placements, increase the likelihood of difficulties across a range of development. These children tend to be wary, distrustful, and controlling when they enter foster placements, but need from their carers many of the caregiving qualities most commonly described as providing a secure base in infancy. This study describes a model of parenting which uses four caregiving dimensions that are consistent with attachment theory and research: promoting trust in availability, promoting reflective function, promoting self-esteem, and promoting autonomy. A fifth dimension, promoting family membership, is added, as it reflects the need for children in long-term foster family care to experience the security that comes from a sense of identity and belonging. Qualitative data from the study demonstrates the usefulness of this model as a framework for analysis, but also suggests the potential use of such a framework for working with and supporting foster carers." Just replace the term "foster" with "adoptive" and the article is very relevant to raising internationally adopted kids.
Study of Language Development in Internatinally Adopted Children from the Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Developmental Studies, at Harvard University. The study was started in 2002 and they are working on publishing the results. They are also conducting a study of continuing language development that continues from where this one left off; contact them if you are interested in participating.

Hosting Programs: Kidsave International is a nonprofit organization that assists agencies in placing older children with host/potential adoptive families during the summer for six weeks. The children attend day camp and learn what life with a family is like. The desired result is that the host family will adopt the child, or at least serve as a resource for someone who wants to. Kidsave pays the travel expenses and for health insurance. There are adoption agencies that run a similar program; be sure to ask for references, as some have not been very successful in completing adoptions.

Because a number of the children adopted from Kazakhstan are asian, and their parents are not, I thought that Families with Children from China might have useful information on being a multicultural family.

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Links for Eastern European Adoption

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA): support group for parents in all stages of adoption. See if there is a local chapter in your area; many of them sponsor meetings. They are also a great resource for home study agencies, physicians, and local laws. They also have a discussion board with the topics archived.

Adopting from Russia is another useful site with information on all stages of adoption from Russia.

Special Needs Resources Links

This can be medical diagnosis, attachment, older child adoption, etc. There are many places to get information. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can be found on the medical page*.

Welcome Garden: links to many topics of concern.
Resources for Special Needs Children from Adopting.com.
Parenting Special Needs from about.com.
Karen's Links for parenting and medical issues.
Special Needs Adoption, part of Adoption.com.
Parenting Children with Special Needs Blog has many subtopics, including attachment, autism, FAS/FAE, sensory integration disorder, learning disabilities, school issues, etc.
Parents Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child (was at pnpic.org): "A support network devoted to understanding the medical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of children adopted from hospital, orphanages and institutions throughout the world."
Raising the Post-Institutional Child, an article by Ronald S. Federici, a developmental neuropsychologist.
Transracial Adoptees Psychological Adjustment is a review of a study on the American Psychological Association website.
When ADHA Might Be Something Else: "Here's how to know the difference between sensory processing problems and ADHD."
Sensory Integration and Behavior from about.com.
Hepatitis B Foundation.
Older Child Adoptive Parenting is an excelent reference for those adopting older kids. Many articles covering topics of concern. Susan adopted Hannah from Russia when she was 6 years old. She shares her experience and insights with others.
Wide Smiles cleft lip and palate resource.
Post Adoption Information "is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the difficulties associated with Post Adoption issues - focusing on the complexities of adopting within the International Community." Specializes in Eastern European adoption. Post adoption FAQ, articles, research, news, resources and links.
The Bipolar Child book, information, articles, newsletters.
Is it ADHD or Bipolar Disorder? is an article that discusses the difficulty in distinguishing between these two disorders.
There are many, many sites with information about ADD. I found the magazine ADDitude because of the above article.
Attachment and RAD
- Radkids message board.
- Nancy Thomas Parenting is a "not-for-profit organization offering information and resources on attachment disorder." They have a list of attachment therapists by state that have been recommended by parents.
- Attachment Institute of New England: "Our focus is to educate and inform parents, professionals and the general pubic about issues of attachment for the purpose of both preventing and treating children with these issues. Professionals, as well as parents who are raising these children, need training resources as well as treatment resources. They also need support systems such as parent groups and children's peer groups. Finally, we believe that much more research needs to be done in this area."
- ATTACh: "The Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh) is an international coalition of parents, professionals and others working to increase awareness about attachment and its critical importance to human development."
- Attach China is a web site devoted to children adopted from China with attachment problems and has a lot of excellent information. Check out the Infant Attachment Checklist, "Attachment Activites" and Links under "Resources". They also have a Yahoo group.
- Attachment Treatment and Training Institute in Evergreen, CO.
- Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, website of Gregory Keck, author of Adopting the Hurt Child and Parenting the Hurt Child.
- Reactive Attachment Disorder website.
- RAD from about.com.
- Family Attachment Mentoring is a support forum for families dealing with attachment issues; intended to be more secure and private than Yahoo groups. 11/08 site gone.
- Attachment Disorder Network "serving children and families affected by attachment disorder." Descriptions, treatment, support, resources and links.
- Attachment Disorder Support List offers information and support.
- Attachment Disorder Support Group has some great articles and a list of resources.
- Focus Adolescent Services attachment and attachment disorders.
- Attachment symptoms in infants and toddlers
- Reactive Attachment Disorder Blog
- Promoting Attachment through the Senses offers great suggestions for helping infants become attached.
- Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children is an online course, no certificate is issued for completing it.
- The Complex Issue of Attachment Disorders in the October 2007 issue of Psychiatric Times.
- A4everFamily is a site written by adoptive parents who have struggled with attachment issues with their children.
- There may be other resources on the Medical* page.
Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University, list of resources for a variety of special needs.

Join one of the many E-mail lists and online support groups *. There is one for just about every family, from general adoption to adopting from Kazakhstan, and for every age of child and parent and special need.

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Sources for adoption funding and financial assistance

Adoption Policy Resource Center: information on Title IV-E adoption assistance and state adoption subsidies.
Funding Adoption from the Child Welfare Information Gateway has information on financial assistance, from tax credits and subsidies to employer benefits and loans; also see
US Department of Labor: The Family and Medical Leave Act has the laws, regulations, FAQ, fact sheets. The Compliance Guide makes it easy to understand.
The Welcome Garden financing information.
NACAC adoption subsidies (National American Council on Adoptable Children) for each state.
The National Adoption Foundation provides grants and low interest loans.
Adoption Financing from Precious in HIS Sight.
International Care is a non-profit foundation that may be able to provide funding.
How to make adoption an affordable option from the National Endowment for Financial Education.
A Child Waits Foundation: "A financial resource for those seeking loans for international adoptions."
Available Resources to help defray or cover the expense of adoption. Very large list of grants, loans, saving money, raising money, and other options.
Lousiana Eastern European Adoptive Families resources for financing adoptions.
For information on the adoption tax credit, see IRS Form 8839 : Qualified Adoption Expenses and the accompanying instructions , and Tax Topics - Adoption Credit. All of these are on the IRS website.
Adoption Tax Credit gives information and a forum.
Fund Raising for Adoption Yahoo group.
Gift of Adoption Fund
ABBA Fund: domestic and international adoption financial assistance
UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation provides grants to families to help pay for child health care services such as speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy sessions, prescriptions, and medical equipment such as wheelchairs, orthotics, and eyeglasses. The grants are for up to $5000; the money is paid directly to the health care provider and only after private insurance has paid.

School Issues

These involve adoption and/or special needs.

Adoption & School from Adoptive Families magazine; an extensive list of resources.
Adoption and School Issues from the Child Welfare Information Gateway. Article looks at the impact of adoption throughout each grade as well as how to educate the school about the issues that adoption can create.
Wrights Law special education law and advocacy has many helpful articles on dealing with school issues, not only for special ed topics but some that concern every child, such as bullying.
School Resources from EMK Press.
Back to School has articles about adoption issues in school.
Adoption Basics for Educators: How Adoption Impacts Children & How Educators Can Help , put out by the Iowa Foster & Adoptive Parents Association.
Adoption in the Schools: A Lot to Learn from the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.
US Department of Education for Parents. Covers a broad range of topics, from preparing your child for school and special needs.
Family Trees & Baby Photos is an article from Rainbowkids.com which discusses how to handle these school projects.
Phojoe.com does age regression and progression pictures. This would be a good option if you really wanted "baby" pictures of your child. This company has worked with adoptive parents.
Teacher's Guide to Adoption from Family Helper.
Adopted Children in the Early Childhood Classroom
Out of the Shadows: Adoptive families seek to transform classroom strategies. Article and resources from Tolerance.org.

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Page last updated on 22 November 2008.