Difference between revisions of "Adoption Parenting: Young Adults Part 2"

Latest revision as of 17:24, 27 August 2014

Conclusion

Adopted persons generally lead lives that are very similar to their nonadopted peers, but their adoption experience frequently can contribute to circumstances that the adopted person may need to overcome, such as feelings of loss and grief, questions about self-identity, or a lack of information about their medical background. The increasing occurrence of open adoption— and therefore the increased contact adopted persons have with their birth families— has dramatically affected the issues faced by adopted persons over the past two decades. Whereas adopted persons from a past era may have more frequently dealt with issues of secrecy and large gaps in information, persons adopted recently may more often be faced with issues related to having contact with their birth parents. Additionally, with the seemingly limitless availability of information, in large part due to the Internet, adopted persons now have access to widespread information and resources, which can greatly aid them in discovering information about their birth families or finding resources for support and encouragement.

Additional Resources

American Adoption Congress. This nonprofit membership organization provides education, advocacy, and support for families touched by adoption. http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/

Adoptees’ Liberty Movement Association (ALMA). This nonprofit membership organization provides education, advocacy, and support for families touched by adoption. http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/

Child Welfare Information Gateway. This service of the Children’s Bureau provides information and publications about a wide range of adoption topics. It also provides adoption statutes for each State.

For Adopted People (web section) (https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adopt_people/)
Searching for Birth Relatives (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_search.cfm)
Searching for Birth Relatives (list of organizations) (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp.cfm?svcID=132&rate_chno=AR-0031A)
Openness in Adoption: Building Relationships Between Adoptive and Birth Families (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm)
Working With Birth and Adoptive Families to Support Open Adoption (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadoptbulletin.cfm)
Laws Related to Adoption (https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/laws/)
Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_impact/index.cfm)
National Foster Care & Adoption Directory Search (https://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad/)

Donaldson Adoption Institute. The Adoption Institute provides information about a wide array of adoption issues. http://www.adoptioninstitute.org

Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project. This website provides information on a longitudinal study of openness in adoption. http://www.psych.umass.edu/adoption

Open Adoption Bloggers. This website lists more than 300 blogs about open adoption, including those by adopted persons, birth parents, and adoptive parents. http://openadoptionbloggers.com

References

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Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013a). Openness in adoption: Building relationships between adoptive and birth families.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013b). Working with birth and adoptive families to support open adoption.
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