Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child


Book Description

Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 21 children, 13 of them adopted children with special needs. Tens of thousands of children in the United States alone are waiting in foster care for parents, and many Americans, single and married, want to open their hearts and homes to these children who wait. A landmark 1980 federal law made adopting and raising special needs children affordable even for people of limited means. What could be easier than matching these kids to these families? The reality is that many prospective adopters never complete the adoption process because of red tape, regulations, and institutional lethargy. Among the adults who complete a homestudy or placement, lack of support services and advocacy training sometimes leads to heartbreak and adoption failure—not a happy ending. Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 23 children, 14 of them adopted children with special needs.




Adoption Policy and Special Needs Children


Book Description

This edited volume contains contributions from leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in adoption policy and practice. Topics covered include adoption advocacy, race and adoption, placement of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, adoptive parent recruitment, and policy related to federal adoption subsidy support. This collection brings together leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in the area of adoption policy and practice. All chapter contributors are nationally recognized leaders in their particular fields of expertise. Several have been instrumental in shaping public policy and legislation on behalf of special needs children and their families. Chapters cover the following topics: advocacy on behalf of special needs children, racial issues in the placement and adoption of special needs children, issues involved in the adoption of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, recruitment of adoptive parents for special needs children, and federal and state policy related to adoption subsidy support. The volume covers the key issues related to both practice and policy in child welfare. As such it is essential reading for professionals and policy makers in social/human services and child welfare. Scholars and other researchers in the field will also find the collection invaluable.




The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education


Book Description

Be your child's best advocate! Children with special needs who succeed in school have one thing in common--their parents are passionate and effective advocates. It's not an easy job, but with The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education, you will learn how to evaluate, prepare, organize, and get quality services, no matter what your child's disability. This valuable handbook gives you the tools you need to navigate the complex world of special education and services, with information on: Assessment and evaluation Educational needs for different disabilities, including multiple disabilities Current law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Working within the school system to create an IEP The importance of keeping detailed records Dealing with parent-school conflict With worksheets, forms, and sample documents and letters, you can be assured that you'll have all you need to help your child thrive--in school and in life!




50 Ways to Support Your Child's Special Education


Book Description

More than six million students in the U.S. receive special education services and that number is on the rise. Frequent changes in educational philosophy and special-education law have made it increasingly difficult for parents to establish an appropriate education plan for their children. This book looks at the many ways that parents can advocate for their children. including how to: Communicate with teachers Get homework done Become involved at school Ensure their children are well rested Start a school day on the right foot Advocacy comes in all forms, and sometimes itÆs as simple as helping people get to know their child and family in a positive way. This useful book will serve as an invaluable tool for parents looking to establish the best educational plan for their children.




Adoption Digest


Book Description

Adoption is a life-long process, forever changing those it touches. The personal and intensely emotional stories related in this book illustrate the many aspects of adopting--the positive and the negative. The narratives include the experiences of children of all ages, their families, and the dedicated professionals who work in the adoption field, supporting them through every stage of their incredible journey.







Adopting the Hurt Child


Book Description

Without avoiding the grim statistics, this book reveals the real hope that hurting children can be healed through adoptive and foster parents, social workers, and others who care. Includes information on foreign adoptions.




Parenting Your Complex Child


Book Description

Besides the usual parenting challenges, parents of disabled children face added obstacles that can tax the resolve and resources of even the strongest families. Peggy Lou Morgan has developed a powerful system for obtaining dramatically better care for children with one or more serious disabilities. Parenting Your Complex Child reflects the experience and knowledge she has gained through decades of navigating a sea of complex medical, educational, occupational, and social issues while working with disabled clients and with her own son. Morgan’s unique tracking and documentation tools let parents adapt to their child’s challenges, create routines that support the child’s needs, communicate those needs to busy professionals -- and be taken seriously by them. The book also helps parents lay the groundwork for care to continue after they themselves can no longer provide it. Compassionate, practical, and proven, Parenting Your Complex Child helps parents ensure that life-changing decisions are based on the best interests of the child -- and on the best information available.




Special Needs Advocacy Resource


Book Description

Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book: What You Can Do Now to Advocate for Your Exceptional Child's Education is a unique handbook that teaches parents how to work with schools to achieve optimal learning situations and accommodations for their child's needs. From IEPs and 504 Plans, to IDEA and NCLB, navigating today's school system can be difficult for even the most up-to-date, education-savvy parent. Special needs advocates Rich Weinfeld and Michelle Davis provide parents and professional advocates with concise, easy-to-understand definitions and descriptions of legal terms and school regulations, along with checklists, tips, questionnaires, and other tools. Topics covered in this handy guide include gathering accurate information about a child's education, navigating school meetings, understanding education law, and best practices in the classroom, working effectively with parents and school systems, discovering educational options beyond the standard, and much more. Parents and advocates not only will feel informed by Weinfeld and Davis' vast knowledge of the inner workings of the school system—they'll be empowered to help their kids succeed in school. Educational Resource




Special-Needs Adoption


Book Description

This volume reports the results of a large-scale survey of families who adopted children with special needs: older children, minority children, handicapped children, or sibling groups. In contrast to much of the current literature which focuses on adoption disruption, this study shifts the focus of inquiry to intact families. It assesses perceptions of social work services, parent-child relationships, family functioning, child behavior, school performance, and other aspects of adoptive family life. Rosenthal and Groze compare outcomes for different types of adoptions, including adoptions of children of different ages, adoptions by minority families, transracial adoptions, single-parent adoptions, adoptions by less educated and less wealthy families, adoptions by foster parents, adoptions of children with handicaps, and sibling group adoptions. The authors offer solid advice, based on their sample of 800 respondents, regarding various aspects of practice in the field of adoption, including selection of families, preparation of families and children, and useful follow-up services. Special-Needs Adoption is an invaluable tool for agencies developing adoption programs, and practitioners seeking the latest information regarding adoptive family dynamics.