For a lot of people, hearing the word “special needs” in relation to adoption is a deal breaker. It seems overwhelming and scary and most potential adoptive parents immediately run the other way.
However, special needs is a broad category and it is one that should not be immediately written off. Let me describe a few hypothetical special needs children to you:
“Caleb” – This little boy is five years old and in state foster care. His race is African American.
“Grace” – This little girl is six months old. She has a cleft lip which will require surgery.
“David” – This is a bouncing, healthy 9 month old baby boy. He is waiting in Guatemala for his forever family.
All three of these children are considered special needs. Caleb, because of his race and his age – who would think you could be “too old” at five? Grace, because she will need a minor surgery and probably some speech therapy. David is special needs only because he is an older baby boy in a country where everyone wants to adopt infant girls.
The term “special needs” is often used for a vast number of children. As a general rule, special needs encompass children with any of the following: children of minority race, young children who are not infants (usually over age two, but it depends on the country and the child’s race), older children, children who have suffered abuse or neglect, children with minor, correctable medical needs, children with minor uncorrectable medical needs and children with more severe medical needs.
As you can see, special needs is a very broad group. As a result, it is important that you discover the details about a child’s special need and then research to determine if it is something that your family can handle. You might be united with the child of your dreams.