Over a half million children are currently in foster care and about 120,000 children can never return to their original homes. These children need the love and support of an adoptive family. Many of the children waiting in foster homes are Special Needs.
Special Needs adoption is not about finding a child for a family, but instead finding the most suitable family for each waiting child. Special Needs is a phrase used to classify children who, for a variety of reasons, wait longer and have a more difficult time finding families able to adopt them.
Special Needs include issues such as
- age, over age three to five depending on your state,
- background of abuse or neglect,
- physical or emotional disabilities,
- sibling groups of two or more,
- and, prenatal drug exposure.
Usually, special needs children have been in foster care for a longer period of time. Many Special Needs children are older, school aged, and may have physical or mental challenges. Often, special needs children have been in several foster homes or living situations and are higher risk for attachment disorders.
Many special needs children have physical or mental conditions that require special treatments and other children have emotional scars from abuse and neglect. Some children are classified as special needs if they are part of a sibling group that is being placed for adoption together. Some members of minority groups are classified as special needs. Every state has their own definitions of special needs children and adoption assistance programs.
Foster care adoptions, are handled by the state children’s services public agencies usually your local Departments of Social Services. Adoption services through a public agency are usually free or available for a very low cost. Federal or State adoption assistance subsidies are sometimes available to assist families adopting a child with special needs as defined by the Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Policy Manual.
For more information, visit 
The National Adoption Information Clearing House.
- State Adoption Assistance Subsidy for Special Needs Children.
- You may want to review Costs of Adopting: The Fact Sheet for Families.
- The NAIC fact sheet, Foster Parent Adoption.
- For all types of adoption the Federal adoption tax credit is available for qualifying families.
- Some employers offer adoption benefits to offset the cost of adopting.
State Adoption: Special Needs photo credits: 
(no use restrictions)
Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms:
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
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.