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Adopting a child who has been prenatally exposed to drugs, alcohol, or other substances is something that can occur in infant and older child adoptions, domestic or international, public, private, or independent. Resources for parents before, during, and after adoption.

Continue reading Adopting a Substance-Exposed Child

This article would have been an excellent resource for friends of my family growing up, whobelieving they could not have children of their own, decided to embark upon the amazing experience of becoming foster parents for children with special needs. Little did they know, their first experience was going to change their lives forever and be a permanent part of their family! It makes me think that if they had known what they were getting into, their foster children's story would've been less difficult and challenging. The first babies they fostered were twins that had been taken away from their mother during the first year of their lives. Because their mother had had serious cocaine and crack cocaine abuse problems, both of them were dealing with the effects of having the substances in their blood stream not only during pregnancy but also during infancy through her breast milk. These foster parents brought both children up through their toddler years and paid out-of-pocket for all additional medical expenses (of which there were many). One of them thrived, and eventually overcame many of her initial disabilities (she is now in high school and at the top of her class, having gone through a great deal of physical therapy and speech therapy as a young child), but the other was taken from their home at age 7 when her physical limitations and needs became so great that she required round-the-clock care. She was showing some tendencies towards violent behavior against her sister, and the family had been able to have two children of their own. Because of safety issues, the more affected sister was removed from the home and put with a family that could devote the time, energy and patience needed to give her the love and support she needed. They eventually adopted the remaining sister, and the other sister was adopted by a very loving family in a nearby town. They maintain a close relationship with this other family so the sisters can maintain the bond they share and feel a part of each other's lives. I always found it so amazing what they went through, and that they were so open to the experience that they were able to create a new life for these babies that might not have otherwise had a chance had someone not been paying attention!

Learning about all of the different possiblities can only help an adoptive parent. It is best to be prepared for anything that may happen, than to have it happen and not have any idea of how to deal with it. Ask questions. This is important when you are adopting. Don't just take what they give you. Make up a list of questions that you want answered and make sure that they are all covered. This will help you in the long run in caring for your adoptive child and will help your child's physicians and therapists should any problems arise. Use the services that the government provides like EI, counseling, and anything else. The services are there to help you.