Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms: Adoption terms and special needs words may vary from agency to agency.The terms used in this Special Needs Adoption-Related Glossary may be slightly different from one State to another.
A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
E
- Emotional disturbance: Severe, pervasive or chronic emotional and or affective condition preventing a child from performing ordinary daily tasks. Emotional disturbances are sometimes displayed by children with an inability to build or maintain relationships, inappropriate behaviors or feelings, unhappiness or depression, or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears related to personal or school problems. Other characteristics might include; sleep disturbances, impulsive eating and impulsive behaviors without consideration to consequences. Therapy is recommended during childhood and adolescence.
- Equitable adoption: A legal process used in some States to establish inheritance rights of a child. If the prospective adoptive parent had entered an agreement to adopt the child. If the child was placed with the parent but the adoption was not finalized before the parent died.
- Employer Assistance: Adoption benefits provided to employees by employers. Often including, direct cash assistance for adoption expenses, reimbursement of approved adoption expenses and resource and referral services. Some employers offer additional paid or unpaid leave, beyond federal leave requirements established through the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Contact your employers human resources department to see if any Adoption Assistance is offered.
- Extended family: Relatives of a child’s, other than parents, such as aunts, uncles, grandparents, and sometimes close family friends.
F
- Family preservation: A supportive program provided social services designed to keep families together. Based on the premise that biological families are the preferred means of providing family life for children and all services should be offered in order to maintain the biological family.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS): A disorder associated with physical, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties in children whose birth mothers drank alcohol while pregnant. Including birth defects, and serious life-long mental and emotional impairments that may result from heavy maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
The most serious of the alcohol related disabilities. Other alcohol related conditions might be called, Fetal alcohol effect (FAE) or Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) - Fictive kin: People who are not related by birth or marriage but have an emotionally-significant relationship with an individual.
- Finalization: The legal step in the adoption process that makes it final. Finalization requires a court hearing where a judge orders that the adoptive parents become the child’s legal parents.
- Foster to adoption: A child placement while biological parents’ rights have not been severed by the court or while biological parents are offered time to work on reunification with their children. Foster parents agree to adopt the child if or when parental rights are terminated. Social workers place the child with specially trained foster to adopt parents who will work with the child during family reunification efforts but who will adopt the child if the child becomes available for adoption. The main reason for making such a placement, is to spare the child another move and avoid some of the emotional damage caused by multiple caregivers.
- Foster children: Children who have been placed in the State’s or county’s legal custody because their biological parents have been abusive, neglectful, or for some reason unable to care for their child or children.
- Foster parents: State or county licensed adults who provide a temporary home for children whose biological parents are not to care for their child or children.
For more information about parenting special needs children you might want to visit the Families.com Special Needs Blog and the Mental Health Blog. Or visit my personal website.
Photo credit for this blog entry: 
(no use restrictions for this photo)