Considering Special Needs Infant Adoption
with Merryl Klein, CSW
Supervisor of ASAP - Spence-Chapin Services program for the placement of infants with special medical and/or developmental needs.
I would like to use this forum both to answer your questions and to dispel some widespread misconceptions regarding the adoption of infants with special medical needs:
- Many prospective adoptive families are unaware of the fact that at any given time there are "at risk" infants, as well as those with medical needs, who are in need of families.
- Others may not realize that some infants with medical issues receive ongoing support from both state and federal programs. This support makes it possible for these infants to be adopted by families whose household income would not otherwise cover the extra costs associated with parenting a child with medical/developmental issues.
- Still other families believe that they would not be chosen to adopt an infant because of marital status, family size, or other background issues.
- There are also questions and misconceptions regarding the role of biological/birth parents both before and after the adoptive placement.
Question: Can you work with us for a special needs adoption even though we are in PA?
Merryl: Yes, we can place infants with families from any state. The special needs program works throughout the U.S.
Question: Would I have to get a homestudy done here and then submit it to you all? How about interstate compact?
Merryl: Yes, you would need a homestudy done by a licensed agency in PA, and yes an interstate would be done. You or you agency would submit the homestudy to us. You would need a voluntary agency to supervise on your end.
Question: OK, then how would the placement work with drug exposed infants?
Merryl: We would share your homestudy with birthmothers who are planning an adoption and if you were chosen, then you would come to NY for the placement. The interstate takes about 7 working days.
Question: Can we choose extent of exposure? What drugs exposed to? Age? Gender? Etc..
Merryl: We would tell you about specific situations that would be right for you. You would choose whether to be presented or not to the birthmother.
Question: In your experience, what are the most common challenges associated with the DE (drug exposed)children?
Merryl: Drug exposure leads to difficulties about 50% of the time, such as learning, behavior, and attention problems. We could send you articles about drug exposure. You must be prepared for challenges because it is impossible to know when an infant is placed whether he/she will have problems down the road. Early intervention is crucial.
Question: Are the children you work with eligible for assistance/subsidies?
Merryl: Infants with diagnosed medical conditions are eligble for NY state subsidy no matter where the adoptive family lives. Children who are at risk are not eligible unless and until they develop a diagnosable condition.
Question: So an assistance agreement can be negotiated post-finalization if something shows up?
Merryl: Yes, but we have to prove that the family was unaware of the seriousness of the condition at the time of finalization. The only thing we have to prove then, is that the etiology of the problem was present pre-finalizatrion.
Question: So if I live in PA but the adoption took place in NY, then the subsidy would be from where?
Merryl: The subsidy would be from NY.
Question: How do you find adoptive parents?
Merryl: We network with agencies around the country and families we place with often come back for another child and share with friends info about our agency.
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