Special Needs Adoption

Special needs adoption has come into the news recently with Katherine Heigl just having adopted her new daughter Naleigh from Korea. Heigl chose to adopt from Korea because her sister Meg Heigl is also native to the country, and she has stated that she has always wanted to take part in such an adoption in honor of Meg. Naleigh is named after Heigls mother and sister, who are named Nancy and Leigh respectively. Adopting Naleigh together with Heigl is Josh Kelley, her singer/songwriter husband, with whom she had talked beforehand about her desire to adopt.

Heigl was able to go through the adoption process fairly quickly because Naleigh qualifies as a special needs child. Special needs children have priority because they need specific attention for their condition or circumstances, and so special needs adoption proceeds more rapidly. Special needs children are also referred to as waiting or adoptable children because they often have spent some time in foster care.

There are several categories that are classified under special needs adoption: disabilities, minority race, age, sibling groups and at risk. Disabilities that special needs children might have include physical, mental, and emotional/behavioral. The disability might be mild, or it could be severe. Minority race is a special needs classification not because it is considered a handicap, but because there have not been enough families recruited to adopt children of minority race. Younger children qualify because they need more attention, though the age limit can vary according to state. In the case of sibling groups, usually siblings qualify when coupled with the other factors of disability, minority race, age, and at risk. Small sibling groups consist of two children and any groups with more than two siblings are large sibling groups. Lastly, at risk children are at risk for developing disabilities, including a learning disability. This is because they have often been subjected to drugs, abuse, neglect and they might have a genetic predisposition to developing a disability.

It takes compassion, patience and determination to go through with special needs adoption and it can be a very rewarding experience. Providing care to a child in great need is admirable, and in turn adoptive parents can enrich their lives by helping a special needs child develop and grow to their full potential. Heigl should be commended for her desire to give that kind of chance to a child and to make a difference in their life.