How to Adopt a Child with Down Syndrome

Have you ever considered adopting a child? Adopting a child with Down Syndrome can be a rewarding and life changing experience. There are over 150,000 children in the US today waiting for a loving home. Some of those children have special-needs, including Down Syndrome. Of course, a family considering adopting a child with Down Syndrome should feel confident in their ability to offer advocacy in many areas including education and medical care.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Locate an Adoption Agency - Each state has one or more adoption agencies that can assist you in the adoption process. You can often find the state agencies by looking in your local yellow pages under "adoption," or searching the internet for your state and the keyword "adoption." You will need to contact this agency and let them know you are interested in adopting. They will provide you with a home study. If you are interested in adopting a child from foster care, an agency in your state will provide this service free of charge.

2. The Homestudy - A homestudy is a detailed biography of you and every member in your family. The homestudy will also define the type of child you are interested in adopting. If you wish to adopt a child with special needs, such as Down Syndrome, be sure to inform them at this step of the process. An agency representative will meet with your family many times until enough information is gathered to prepare a thorough homestudy. This step is very important as it is an opportunity to explore how adoption will effect your family. There are many questions and it is essential that this process be given adequate time and attention for a successful adoption.

3. Matching - In this step of the adoption process your family will be matched with a child. Agencies may provide you with profiles of children waiting for adoption. You can review these profiles and you can also seek out children on your own by scouring many resources available online. There are several websites listing the profiles of children available for adoption. Also, there is an email list called Down Syndrome adoption dedicated to discussing the adoption of children with Down Syndrome. These resources are listed below in the resource section.

4. Meeting the Child - You will be given a chance to meet and get to know the child waiting to be adopted. Distance is an important factor in this step. You will be given the opportunity to meet and get to know a child in your geographical area. An out of state adoption may require that you make a decision without a lot of face-to-face interaction with the child.

5. Placement in Your Home - The child will be placed in your home and you will be given a chance to live with and get to know your child. It is unfortunate that some adoptions fail at this step. Preparing and paying special attention to the previous steps can prevent this from happening. For a successful adoption, this is a joyous time and is every bit as exciting as giving birth to a biological child.

6. Finalizing the Adoption - The adoption is finalized when the family goes to court and completes the legal process. Adoption attorneys are widely available by looking in the yellow pages of your local phone book. The cost for the attorney and legal fees varies, but can be done for as little as $1,000. Also, in many states these fees are reimbursed if the child is currently in state custody and looking for a permanent family.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to the procedure outlined above, there is a Down Syndrome Adoption Awareness program sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. This program assists expecting and new parents wishing to release their child. The program also maintains a list of waiting parents.

Resources

• Comeunity - List of Websites Providing Photos of Waiting Children
• AdoptUSKids - Dedicated to US Children with Special Needs including Down Syndrome
• National Adoption Awareness Program from the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati
• Down Syndrome Adoption Yahoo Group

[christamiller]

on 11/9/2009 Great information on adopting a child with down syndrome. I hope people who are considering it will run across this article. :)

[AdirondackTrina]

on 11/3/2009 Great tips on adopting a special needs child! 5*

[tessieann]

on 10/29/2009 Very informative - takes a special person to adopt a very special child! 5*

[tessieann]

on 10/29/2009 Very informative - takes a special person to adopt a very special child! 5*

[lighthouse1958]

on 10/13/2009 If a couple adopts a child with down syndrome has a wonderful heart and lots of love to give to that child. God would want this child to be with you. Only certain people can give children with disablities certain types of love. I could take one of these children in and adopt them. To me I don't see the disability like I see a child that needs me. A wonderfully written article. 5*