Special needs adoptions can offer a wonderful opportunity for adoptive parents and adoptive children. The phrase special needs adoption can actually apply to most children and youth adopted from foster care. The term is used in Kansas state laws to identify children that are eligible for Federal financial assistance. This term is often heard by potential adoptive families, but it is often misunderstood and comes with negative connotations.
Definitions
Most people think of special needs children as having medical, physical, or emotional disabilities. Within the foster care system, a child with special needs can have the following factors or conditions:
- Membership in a sibling group
- Ethnic or racial background
- Medical, physical, or emotional disabilities
- Age
- A risk of mental, physical, or emotional disability based on birth family history
- Any sort of condition that makes it more difficult to find an adoptive family
In Kansas, a special needs child is defined as one that meets the following conditions:
- Twelve years or older
- Members of a sibling group with two or more children want to be placed together, where one of the children has a special needs factor listed below
- Members of a sibling group of three or more children that wish to be placed together
- A medically diagnosed physical disability that limits or impairs normal functioning and requires assistance in self-care
- Significant developmental disabilities or delays with need for intensive adult supervision
- Diagnosed behavioral or emotional disability that impacts behavioral or other functioning
- Factors in a child’s genetic or medical background that indicate they may develop a physical, emotional, or developmental problem later on
Who Can Adopt a Special Needs Child?
There is not a specific legal requirement to be eligible to adopt a special needs child. Families will often make the decision to adopt a special needs child after consulting with their adoption attorney or adoption agency as to the needs of the child and their ability to meet them.
How Do I Know if I Can Meet the Challenges of Parenting a Special Needs Child?
Kansas actually offers a self-assessment for potential adoptive parents of special needs children. It can be found here. This is an excellent starting point for families considering special needs adoption.
Experienced adoptive parents are one of the best sources of information. You can seek out these parents through your adoption attorney or online support groups. Talk to these parents, ask them about your most pressing concerns and hear of their struggles and triumphs. This can provide you with invaluable insight into whether adopting a special needs child is for you and your family.
How Can I Find a Child with Special Needs Who Needs a Home?
Your licensed adoption attorney can assist you in locating a special needs child who is seeking a home. Many special needs children can be found in foster care, either locally, interstate, or abroad. An adoption agency can similarly assist in the process.
McDowell Chartered: Kansas Adoption Attorneys Assisting Adoptive Parents with Special Needs Adoptions
Adopting a special needs child can be a fantastic opportunity for both the adoptive parents and adoptive child. Special needs adoptions can also often be completed speedily, placing a beautiful child in your arms faster than you know it. The Kansas Adoption Attorneys at McDowell Chartered have spent decades assisting families in completing adoptions of special needs children. We at McDowell Chartered value our role in helping to create families. For the assistance of adoption attorneys of excellence, call McDowell Chartered today at (316) 633-4322 for an initial consultation.