Child Adoption Research Paper

Abstract
There are thousands of children currently in the foster care system that fall into the category of “Special Needs” waiting for a family to love and support them. The term special needs instantly brings to mind the thought of a child with a disability, in adoption terms the term encompasses a larger meaning. The term special needs pertaining to adoption means a child that is difficult to place by the state adoption unit or adoption agencies. The majority of these children have no health or temperament problems; they are just considered “hard to place” by most adoption agencies. The range of ages for children in this category are from infant to 18 years old. Adoption can be a very good experience for both the child and the new family,
Attachment to a primary caregiver is vital to the development of emotional security and social ethics. Children that grow up with attachment disorders with an inability to trust and love will often grow up and be angry and emotionally unstable. The number one reason children are taken away from their biological parents is because of neglect. Neglect has profound and long lasting consequences to the development of a child. If treatment is made available to the children that are victims of neglect there lives could be enhanced dramatically (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000). There has been federal and state legislation created which focuses on moving children out of unstable environments within foster care to the stability of their own home via adoption. The passage of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, focuses on the continuity of relationships for children rather than multiple foster placements. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was written to lessen the amount of time a child is placed in the foster care system and expedites the adoption for these children when it is unlikely they will reunite
When the term “special needs” is associated with a child many people immediately think of a child with a disability; however, when the term is used with regards to an adoption the meaning is defined differently. The steps or factors needed to classify a child as “special needs” vary from state to state. The term special needs pertaining to adoption means a child that is difficult to place by the state adoption unit or adoption agencies. The majority of these children have no health or temperament problems; they are just considered “hard to place” by most adoption agencies. These “special needs” children range in age from infants to 18