Category - Special Needs

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21

Nov

All Children Have a Human Right to a Family

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

The dirt road was wide and lined by corrugated metal structures housing a variety of homes and small businesses. A concrete trench ran between the structures and the road. The dust kicked up giving everything a fine brown-gray layer of dirt. People milled about, glancing curiously at us. We arrived at the end of the ...

18

Nov

Connect With Families At Our Bulgaria Open House

by MLJ Adoptions

in Bulgaria, Special Needs

At any given time there are at least seven older children on the MLJ Adoptions waiting child list. These are children that desire and need a forever family just like the infant babies of the world. So many times the older children are overlooked and considered too much of a challenge. When talking with families ...

13

Nov

Older Child, the Adoptee Perspective

by Jordan Kelly

in Special Needs

As we focus on older children during the month of November, we wanted to share with families the perspective of an older child who had been adopted. We interviewed Tatiana, a beautiful young girl who was adopted from Ukraine at the age of 16 along with her siblings. Tatiana and her siblings have thrived in ...

8

Nov

Adopting An HIV Positive Child

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

After attending the Together for Adoption conference, I am more convinced that the international adoption landscape is changing. The majority of the children that were adopted five years ago were healthy, non special need, or older children. Today the percentages are very different. Special need and older child adoptions are growing. The importance of Support ...

1

Feb

Dan Marino – Adoptive Parent and Autism Advocate

by Jordan Kelly

in Special Needs

Dan Marino – Career & Family Adoption is everywhere. If you keep up with our blogs, it is evident that adoption can touch lives anywhere and everywhere, including all-star athletes in the National Football League. In 1983, Dan Marino was drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins After several ...

7

Jan

Bulgaria – More Than Just a Special Needs Program

in Bulgaria, Special Needs

Many families are becoming familiar with adoption from Bulgaria. But because of misleading information given by most adoption agencies, families are led to believe that Bulgaria is predominantly a special needs program. While Bulgaria does have a high placement of children with special needs, it is more than a Special Needs Program. Bulgaria is one ...

26

Dec

Top 10 Reasons To Adopt From Ukraine

in Special Needs, Ukraine

Having made numerous trips to Ukraine in the past ten years, I have been able to observe many benefits in the Ukrainian adoption process. Ukrainian adoption is a fast paced process filled with great possibilities for those families wanting to adopt older children, sibling groups or even special needs children. As a mother to four ...

16

Nov

Children with a Family History of Mental Health Issues

in Special Needs

There are children who wait for families through international adoption in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Mexico and many other countries around the world through no fault of their own. Due to myths, assumptions, stereotypes, and fears they linger in orphanages around the world. For some, the reason they struggle to find a forever family, is that ...

15

Nov

Children with Special Needs Waiting for Adoption in Samoa

in Samoa, Special Needs

Merriam – Webster defines Special Needs as “…a disadvantaged background or a mental, emotional, or physical disability or a high risk of developing one.” For the purposes of adoption, the term special needs can also include children of specific ages or gender that make it more difficult to find families interested in adopting them. As ...

14

Nov

Hope for Children Waiting and Dreaming of a Family

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

The face of adoption is changing. There are many reasons for this change, one is due to a group of children not being considered for adoption. Many prospective adoptive parents desire to adopt a healthy, as young as possible child from . . . you name the country. This phenomenon is nothing new. It has ...

13

Nov

Children with Special Needs Waiting for Adoption in D. R. Congo

in Special Needs

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and provides all of us the opportunity to celebrate adoptions of all types. Whether you are considering an international adoption or domestic adoption, there is always a need for additional loving families to consider adopting a child with special needs. Many families shy away from special needs adoptions due ...

12

Nov

Differences in Cultural Perspectives of Roma Children

in Bulgaria, Special Needs

Many Americans, when hearing the word “Gypsy” will react positively and envision an exotic fortune teller or remember the song by Cher, or possibly the movie, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” featuring the beautiful, heroic character of Esmeralda. Unfortunately, in other parts of the world, the word “Gypsy” is derogatory and is viewed as an ...

22

Oct

10 Reasons To Adopt From Bulgaria

in Bulgaria, Special Needs

During my time in the Bulgarian orphanages and working in Bulgaria, I was able to observe many benefits in the Bulgarian adoption process. While Bulgaria has not seen the popularity of international adoption like Russian adoptions and Ukrainian adoptions, I find that it has numerous benefits that are often overlooked. Top 10 benefits to adopting ...

10

Oct

The Realities of Adopting HIV and Special Needs Children

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

Over the course of time we have seen many advances in medicine and medical care in the USA. In the world of HIV we have seen this clearly. Fear and shame once perpetuated the disease, and still does with lack of education. However, we are seeing people desiring to become more educated on the virus ...

10

Jul

The Truth About Adopting A Special Needs Child

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

We are very excited that just last month one of our families brought home their HIV-positive child! While this is not the first HIV-positive child MLJ has helped join a forever family, or even the first child with other special needs, it is the first Hiv-positive child who has arrived since we started an official ...

18

Oct

Gripped by Despair

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

There are few times in life that I am gripped with an uncontrollable feeling of grief, despair, and pain. That is what I was left with as I pulled away from the government institution a few months ago in a third world country. This is a place where parents can drop off children because they ...

8

Sep

CAAC Speaker Amy Moore to Talk About Adopting Children With Special Needs

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

The Crossroads of America Adoption Conference is going to be one of the highlights of my year. I am looking forward to connecting with families that are on, or will be joining the adoption journey. There has been so much time and efforts put into this conference, and we have some incredible sessions and speakers ...

6

Jun

Meet MLJ: Amy Moore

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

Name: Amy Moore Title at MLJ: Special Needs Program Coordinator What do you actually DO with MLJ: Intake for Special Needs children to help match them with forever famlies. What is your favorite part about what you do with MLJ: Education for the parents, how to meet the specific needs of the child. What is ...

13

May

The Forgotten Children

by MLJ Adoptions

in Special Needs

Four years ago when I heard the term Special Needs, my reaction was, “that is for someone else, I could not handle that.” Three years ago our family’s world was rocked when we adopted our little “Guatemalan princess”. When we set out on the adoption journey, we signed up for a “healthy female two years ...

27

Dec

The Gift of Adoption

by

in Special Needs

When I worked as a child welfare worker, I facilitated many adoptions. It was the upside to a job that that often seemed bleak and challenging. Children that had suffered such abuse and neglect were legally and emotionally free to find peace with a new family. While adoptive parents exuded joy, I always felt adoption ...

10

Dec

Parenting a Child with HIV

by MLJ Adoptions

in Resources, Special Needs

Read the first part of Stephanie’s story Considering Adopting a Child with HIV. Well, no doors closed and we brought that sweet little boy home along with two other boys on April 14, 2010. He was on medicine in Ukraine and remains on those same medications but different dosage today. We have been to see ...

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