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Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents: Conclusion and Additional Resources

Conclusion and Additional Resources

Adoption is a lifelong commitment, and adoption-related issues may arise at any point in parents’ or their child’s lifetime. A willingness to learn about the issues and to be open to seeking support if necessary can help to ensure that parents and children experience happy and healthy family lives.

Resources are divided into websites and books and articles.

Websites

While the Adoption Photolisting website is a tool for connecting foster and adoptive families with waiting children throughout the United States, the website also offers a number of resources for adoptive families, including information about the adoptive process, adoption advocacy, and stories for parents and children. Parents may also be interested in the respite manual, “Taking a Break: Creating Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Respite in Your Community”

Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E): http://www.adoptionsupport.org C.A.S.E. provides support and education for everyone in the adoption community. The website includes information on adoption-competent therapy, adoption training, community education, and publications.

Center for Family Connections this educational and clinical resource center specializes in the developmental, structural, and systemic issues related to adoption, foster care, kinship, and guardianship and offers training, education, advocacy, and clinical treatment.

The Adoption Institute seeks to improve the quality of information about adoption, to enhance the understanding and perceptions about adoption, and to advance adoption policy and practice.

Families Adopting in Response (FAIR): http://www.fairfamilies.org Through its all-volunteer organization, FAIR offers information, education, support, and fellowship to adoptive and preadoptive families. Membership includes families who have adopted children through public and private agencies, from the United States, and from many other countries. FAIR focuses on the children who need a permanent, loving family and the parents who have opened their hearts and homes to those children, infants through teens.

Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/fsos/Centers/mtarp This site provides research findings from this major study of variations in openness in adoption and the effect of openness on all members of the adoption triad.

New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children (NYSCCC): http://nysccc.org While this website is focused on New York families, many of the resources have relevance for other adoptive families. Transracial and transcultural resources and questions and answers may be particularly useful (http://nysccc.org/family-supports/transracial-transcultural).

North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC): http://www.nacac.org) Founded in 1974 by adoptive parents, NACAC is committed to meeting the needs of waiting children and the families who adopt them. NACAC offers advocacy, education, parent leadership capacity building, and adoption support.

Pact, an Adoption Alliance: http://www.pactadopt.org Pact’s goal is to create and maintain the Internet’s most comprehensive site addressing issues for adopted children of color, offering informative articles on related topics as well as profiles of triad members and their families, links to other Internet resources, and a book reference guide with a searchable database. The site provides reprints of past Pact Press issues, as well as opportunities to interact with other triad members and to ask questions of birth parents, adopted people, adoptive parents, and adoption professionals.

Books and Articles

National Adoption Magazines

Blomquist, B. T. (2001). Insight into adoption: What adoptive parents need to know about the fundamental differences between a biological and an adopted child—and its effect on parenting. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Eldridge, S. (2009). 20 things adoptive parents need to succeed. New York, NY: Delta, a Division of Random House.

Foli, K. J., & Thompson, J. R. (2004). The post-adoption blues: Overcoming the unforeseen challenges of adoption. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.

Gray, D. D. (2007). Nurturing adoptions: Creating resilience after neglect and trauma. Indianapolis, IN: Perspectives Press

Keck, G. C., & Kupecky, R. M. (2009). Parenting the hurt child: Helping adoptive families heal and grow. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

Kirk, H. D. (1984). Shared fate: A theory and method of adoptive relationships. Port Angeles, WA: Ben-Simon Publications.

Kruger, P., & Smolowe, J. (Eds.). (2005). A love like no other: Stories from adoptive parents. New York: Riverhead Books.

Marindin, H. (Ed.). The handbook for single adoptive parents. Washington, DC: National Council for Single Adoptive Parents.

May, P. (2005). Approaching fatherhood: A guide for adoptive dads and others. London, England: British Adoption and Fostering Federation.

Melina, L. R. (1986). Raising adopted children: A manual for adoptive parents. New York, NY: Harper & Row , Publishers. (Available on Kindle)

Pavao, J. M. (1998). The family of adoption. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Schooler, J. E., & Atwood, T. C. (2008). The whole life adoption book: Realistic advice for building a healthy adoptive family. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

Van Gulden, H., & Bartels-Rabb, L. M. (1994). Real parents, real children: Parenting the adopted child. New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company.


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