For the purposes of adoption, special needs has a much broader definition than normal.

In general, a special need means that a person has a medical disability or developmental delay. This does apply in adoption as well, but it is not limited to that.

Many of the children that qualify as special needs for the purposes of adoption have a mental health diagnosis, or in many cases, several diagnoses.

There are several other criteria that qualify a child as special needs for adoption that have nothing to do with disabilities or disorders.

Age – Older children are harder to place, so their age alone puts them in the special needs category. Each state has different qualifications as to what the “cut off” age is. Some states go as low as the age of 2, while others set the limit at age 8 or above.

Siblings – If children are part of a sibling group and the agency is trying to place them as a group, the status qualifies them as special needs.

Race – If a child is a race other than Caucasian, race can place the child in the special needs category.

Emotional issues – If a child has emotional issues, the issues can place the child into the special needs category.

Children who have been in foster care are highly likely to have emotional issues. They have endured things that many of us do not even want to think about, much less have gone through ourselves. It is not a stretch to presume that a child will not suffer any damage because of this.

Adopting a child with special needs does not mean that you will have a lifetime of caring for the child or that they will never be able to live on their own. Children can heal from emotional disorders and many do every day. They go on to live normal, happy, healthy lives and are fully functioning members of society.

There are some children in foster care or available through special needs adoption who will need care for the rest of their lives. These children have serious needs that are usually identified prior to adoption.

Consider opening your heart and home to one of these special children.


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