Wow -sounds like something I ought to read! This article, published in the Journal of Social Work in 2003 is definitely validation to the lives that many of us live. The authors are Heather Forbes, a social worker and adoption therapist in Florida and Sophia Dziegielewsi, a professor in social work from the University of Central Florida. There is nothing groundbreaking about their study, nothing that will be of surprise to any of us living the life of an adoptive mother of a special needs child. But just knowing that it's out there...that someone recognized our plight and cared enough to research it is a comfort.

The researchers first conducted an exhaustive study of literature... more

I think that parents of special kids become more keenly aware of the needs of other parents and other special kids. This has been true lately and quite frankly, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. I am an optimist by nature -- one borne in realism, but optimistic nonetheless. However, it is hard to keep your head above water when everywhere you look other families are in crisis, too. Just today, I am carrying two families heavy on my heart.

One is a foster parenting couple from our church who foster medically fragile children. That is a special calling in and of itself. They not only provide a safe, loving place for these children while decisions are made about their future,... more

Parents of children with Reactive Attachment Disorder frequently get taken to task for calling their children "RAD kids" or "RADishes". While these terms personally make me cringe and I'm not sure I've ever called my child either, I tire of the criticism being leveled at parents already under a great deal of stress.

I wonder if parents of children with other disorders are held to the same standards. I've recently come across quite a bit of literature referring to "apsies" -- i.e. children and adults with Asperger's Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism).... more

I got my latest e-newsletter from a couple pioneering a very unique ministry in China - Lotus Buds International. Rick & Chris Carter are adoptive parents, whose daughter was a Chinese orphan. Sometime last year, I don't know when, the months all run together, Chris emailed me and we chatted about the importance of teaching attachment parenting to pre-adoptive families. It was then that she told me of their plans to move to China and to launch an organization whose sole purpose is to promote the adoption of Chinese orphans BY Chinese residents. As others have noted in recent... more

Ok - I can't hold back any longer. I've been writing this blog for nearly a month now and haven't once mentioned the one event/activity that is consuming nearly as much of my time as raising LuLu...the Attachment Disorder Network's first annual conference.

As the conference chair, I can honestly say this has been an undertaking of mammoth proportions. And I'm learning that mammoths are not extinct! But as I keep reporting back to the conference committee...every day I get more and more JAZZED about how things are shaping up.

The conference is aptly... more

Found a fascinating article about a study done by the Eastern European Adoption Coalition (EEAC) last year. The survey of post-adoptive parents begins to show the magnitude of the needs for special education services for post-institutionalized children. The full article by Harriet White McCarthy and the survey results are available at www.postadoptinfo.org.

While the vast majority of the families answering the survey had adopted from Eastern European countries (Russia being the highest number), the results have implications for all internationally adopted children and their risk for emotional and learning deficits. The report cited that... more

My good friends at the Attachment Institute of New England in Worchester, MA are at it again! Each year they host a conference that always includes some very pertinent topics and speakers related to adoption and attachment. Their upcoming March 10 conference is no exception. Entitled "Building Our Community of Support: Meeting the Challenge for Adoptive Families", the conference will focus on information for teachers, extended family, social workers and community leaders, as well as us adoptive/foster parents.

The speakers will include Dr. Boris Gindis, a psychologist specializing in internationally adopted children and both their emotional and learning issues. Dr. Gindis, based... more

I was at a local autism conference a couple of weeks ago, where the speaker read this poem. There was not a dry eye in the house and I even noticed a couple of people who had Holland travel stickers on their notebooks! Ms. Kingsley has magnificently captured what parenting a special child is like!

WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like... more

There's a lot of GREAT discussion about attachment on several of these blogs right now. The editors at adoption.com definitely pulled together a collective group of wisdom on adoption for these blogs. If you're a pre-adoptive parent the whole topic of attachment difficulties and the dreaded attachment disorder can send you running from one of these blogs! But the fact you're reading them, is a good indication that you realize the potential and want to be prepared.

The two wisest sages on this topic around here seem to be Nancy on the Reactive Attachment Disorder blog, who posted an interesting piece... more

Check out this site FULL of information and inspiration to those advocating for their children in the school system: www.massadvocates.org

Of particular interest to me were two areas:

1. The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative that has produced a comprehensive report and policy agenda on the effects of trauma on a child's ability to learn. This report can be purchased or read on the website. This is ground-breaking work with the goal of providing supportive school environments for traumatized children. Since many adoptive and foster families have children with histories of trauma, violence and abuse, this initiative... more