What is a special needs adoption?
A special needs adoption is an adoption of a child through a public adoption agency who is deemed to have special needs. This may include children who are of a certain age such as teenagers, children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities, or sibling groups. In Washington, for a child to be deemed as having special needs the agency must find the child to have one or more of the following criteria: The child has been identified as having a physical, mental, or emotional disability, is of an age that makes it difficult to find a family to adopt, has come from an environment with traumatic experiences, or is part of a sibling group. Special needs adoption has become more popular over time due to the increased use of the internet to find children in need of homes. This has made it much easier to find special needs children who might have otherwise gone overlooked. Families who are considering a special needs adoption should be aware that this type of adoption can come with unique challenges and may require extra attention and care. For this reason, it is important to be sure you are prepared for the emotional and physical demands that come with a special needs adoption.
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