ADOPTION RESOURCES

A much-abbreviated list of useful adoption Web site links. Many of these sites have extensive links as well. Also see the Book Recommendations section for numerous adoption books. See Parenting Resources below for medical/developmental information, including adoption clinics, growth charts, and insurance info.
 

Adopting.com.  Huge general adoption site with a particularly good list of links and paths to various adoption-oriented listservs.

Adopting.org. Another large, general and comprehensive site.

Adoption Today magazine. Formerly Chosen Child. Bimonthly international adoption magazine with many informative articles. Recently merged with Roots & Wings, another well-respected adoption publication.

Adoptive Families magazine.  Bimonthly publication covering entire range of adoption experiences (domestic/international) and children of all ages. 

AdoptShoppe. On-line retailer (adoptive mom with kids from Korea) specializing in adoption books and gifts.

An Incredible Journey. Adoptive parent Jeanne Zozobrado makes journals intended for Thai children over 7 who are going on homeland visits, and for children over 7 who are traveling with their families to adopt a child in Thailand.

The Institute for Adoption Information sells An Educator's Guide to Adoption for $7.75 per copy. 22-page pamphlet designed to increase teacher understanding of adoption, help teachers deal with awkward situations, provide classroom resources for integrating adoption into curriculum, point out possible "problem" assignments (family trees, baby pictures, etc.). A great resource to share with your child's classroom teacher. Also see the excellent www.familyhelper.net Teacher's Guide to adoption, which is comprehensive and free.

Center for Adoption Support & Education. Excellent post-adoption resources, including special interactive areas for kids and teens. Don't miss CASE's classic "Wise-Up Powerbook" -- provides great strategies for adopteesto handle sticky questions at school and other settings.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. Formerly the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. Government site with a ton of info, including a good list of adoption-oriented events and conferences.

Comeunity. Site specializing in Asian adoption; has many good articles and a useful section on medical issues of concern to adoptive families. Big photolisting section of waiting children.

Ethica is a nonprofit corporation that seeks to be an impartial voice for ethical adoption practices worldwide, and provides education, assistance, and advocacy to the adoption and foster care communities. Very good resource for those interested in the geopolitical and socioeconomic aspects of international adoption, as well as ethics of domestic adoption.

Evan B. Donaldson Institute.  This well-respected nonprofit organization has a great Website, packed with resources for adoptive parents and professionals, including authoritative current adoption research.

Family trees. Dreading that inevitable genealogical assignment at school? Use the link to review some diagrams of alternative “family trees” that may better suit your child’s history, while satisfying the teacher’s educational objectives. The excellent www.familyhelper.net site from Canada also has good suggestions in its Teacher's Guide (module 3); Webmaster's kids have used the Self Wheel with great success in family tree assignments.

Rainbowkids. Monthly cyber-magazine for international adoption. Includes large section of photolistings of waiting children.

Tapestry Books. Mail order book specialist in adoption and infertility titles; carries many of the adoption titles in the Book Recommendations section.

U.S. State Dept. page on Thai adoption law and procedures for U.S. families.
 

PARENTING/MEDICAL RESOURCES (The adopting.com site offers a more extensive list of special needs and helpful links.)

Adoption medicine, MA. Dr. Laurie Miller, International Adoption Clinic, Tufts/New England Medical Center, Boston. Expert on adoption medicine. 617/636-8121.

Adoption medicine, MI. Dr. Jeri Jenista. Michigan pediatrician and adoptive mom of kids from India; expert on adoption medicine. 313/668-0419.

Adoption medicine, OH. International Adoption Center, Cincinnati Childrens Center, Ohio. Headed by Dr. Mary Allen Staat.

Adoption medicine, OH. Dr. Deborah Borchers, adoptive mother and expert on adoption medicine, Cincinnati. 513/753-2820. Author of a useful list of all the medical tests recommended for international adoptees.

Adoption medicine, VA/DC. International Adoption Center at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. A prominent staff member, Dr. Patrick Mason, is a pediatric endocrinologist and an expert in precocious puberty in post-institutionalized children. 703/970-2651.

Adoption medicine, WA.  Dr. Julia Bledsoe, Center for Adoption Medicine, Univ. of Washington , Seattle. Adoptive mom and pediatrician; does pre-adopt evaluations and post-adopt care, consultations. 206/598-3000.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.  Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD)  Nonprofit parent-based organization. Also see another nonprofit, ADD Resources.org. The latter site has over 100 articles written by national ADHD authorities as well as adults with ADHD, plus many relevant links, a directory of service providers, and an events calendar. Free monthly eNews available.

General post-institutionalization issues.  Parent Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child. Information and advocacy group. "A support network devoted to understanding the medical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of children adopted from hospital, orphanages and institutions throughout the world."

Growth charts for Thai children.  From a pediatrician in Thailand -- growth charts for Thai natives. Available are: boys/girls age 0-12 mos;  boys/girls age 1 to 6 years; boys age 6 to 20 years; and girls age 6 to 20 years.  Easy conversions from metric: multiply your child's weight in pounds x 0.45 to get kilograms; multiply your child's height in inches x 2.54 to get centimeters. (Thanks toDuane Lillehaugand Tony Stubbin for charts and technical assistance.)

Hearing impairment.  See the very extensive Resources section of the Listen-Up organization.

Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B resources from the Comeunity site, including links to many support organizations. Also check out the useful adoptive families listserv focused on Hepatitis B; subscribe here.

Helicobacter pylori. Endemic in Southeast Asia, this pathogen can cause short stature, slow growth, and stomach troubles. Usually easy to cure with antibiotics, it can be hard to diagnose, but should be investigated in slow-to-grow adoptees where other possibilities (such as parasites) have been ruled out. For more, see the Website of the Helicobacter Foundation.

Insurance -- know your rights!  The US Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1993 requires insurers to treat adopted children the same as bio-children for insurance purposes. This legislation also covers kids in your custody whom you expect to adopt, even if the adoptions have not been finalized. Many insurance company reps are unaware of this federal legislation and tell adopting families that their children cannot be covered before finalization, or that pre-existing conditions are not covered. Make sure to ask for a supervisor if you get this response. Click for more details.

Language learning. Fast ForWord.   Innovative computer-based language learning system marketed by Scientific Learning Co., successfully used by some families whose adopted children have had significant language/speech delays. Also see sensory/auditory integration disorder, below.

Parasites. Parasites resources from the Comeunity site.

Precocious puberty. Scientific evidence is mounting that female adoptees who suffer early malnutrition/institutional stress and rapid post-adopt catch-up growth are at higher risk for precocious puberty. Precocious puberty is technically defined as the onset of menarche (first menstrual period) before age 8, but pediatric endocrinologists have varied ideas on the subject, and medical treatment may be indicated even if a developing child is older than this technical definition. The Chicago-based Magic Foundation for Children’s Growth  offers a good discussion of physiological causes of precocious puberty, and the uses and side effects of GnRH hormone in arresting or delaying puberty. Dr. Patrick Mason at the International Adoption Center at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children  is an expert on the subject as well. One adoptive parent also recommends this Website sponsored by the maker of the drug Lupron, which is the most popular product used in arresting the development of puberty.

Sensory/auditory integration disorder. This recent article by a Thai-adopt database parent gives good information about these often-misdiagnosed syndromes, and a useful list of information resources.

Thalassemia. A good article focused on adoptive families discussing the occurrence, diagnosis, and treatment of this genetic blood disorder that sometimes affects international adoptees from Asia.

Tuberculosis. Excellent links, including information about test results, treatments, and the effects of the BCG vaccine on tests. From the Comeunity website.