1. Disability & Adoption Lifespan Considerations! Created and Presented by Victoria Ann Baker-Willford Picket Fence Dreams 2013 ©

2. Disability dis·a·bil·i·ty noun, plural dis·a·bil·i·ties 1. lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity.ability 2. a physical or mental handicap, especially one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job.job 3. the state or condition of being disabled. disabled

3. PRE EXISTING DISABILITIES Non Adoption Related

4. MY EARLIST PHOTO

5. Daunting Diagnoses Bilateral Congenital Cataracts. Severe Allergies Asthma Chronic Bronchitis Mild Learning Disabilities Legally Blind Glaucoma MTHFR Anxiety Epilepsy

6. STATISTICS

7. Significant Impact In an eight year average (2000-20008) calculation there were approximately 135,000 adoptions per year in the United States. A rough estimate of children with disabilities is 11%. In the last ten years Approximately 148,000 children in US have a disability and have been adopted.

8. SSA According to SSA for a person to be considered disabled he/she is unable to engage in any substantial gainful work activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to last for 12 continuous months or result in death.

9. WOW! Approximately 17% percent of children who are currently in foster care qualify for SSI. Compare that to the 2% national average.

10. QUESTIONS WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?

11. Potential Questions Children May Want to Know! Where did my disability come from? Was I put up for adoption because of my disability? Will my adoptive parents get tired of taking care of me too? If I was not disabled would I live with my biological family? Will my children have disabilities too? Should I even have children?

12. Inquiring minds want to know! NAIC (now the Child Welfare Information Gateway) estimates that there are more than 60,000 Americans searching for birth parents or children from whom they were separated. Some may be searching out of curiosity, emotional reasons, or the need to share genetic and medical information. In many states, judges will only accept compelling medical reasons as sufficient grounds for issuing a court order to open sealed adoption records. https://www.childwelfare.gov/ Each judge determines what is Sufficient grounds.

13. HEALTH

14. What you don’t Know Can Hurt You! People with disabilities likely have more medical appointments than their peers. Lack of Knowledge is frustrating for all involved. Lack of Knowledge can further impair the health of a person with a disability.

15. We Don’t Just Look Alike! VictoriaMarjorie

16. Other Similarities I never met my grandmother. There was forty five years between us. We both have a impish sense of humor. We have identical visual disabilities. We have a similar seizure disorder. We have anxiety disorders.

17. Knowledge is Power! The Best Seizure I Ever Had! They came from somewhere. I was like someone else. I was not crazy. I now had something to report. I was safe.

18. SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL

19. IT IS ALL CONNECTED For a person with pre existing disabilities the social and emotional impact of adoption may lead to additional disabilities. Singer, L.M., Brodzinsky, D.M., and Braff, A.M. Children’s beliefs about adoption: A developmental study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (1982) 3:285-94.

20. Which Came First? For some adoptees with disabilities there is a question if the adoption related issues led to debilitating mental and physical conditions.

21. Something Is Wrong! Mental health professionals are surprised at the alarmingly high number of their patients who are adopted. Studies show an average of 25 to 35% of the young people in residential treatment centers are adoptees. This is 17 times the norm. (Lifton, BIRCO--Pannor and Lawrence) Adoptees are more likely to have difficulties with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder, infertility, suicide and untimely pregnancies. (Young, Bohman, Mitchell, Ostroff, Ansfield, Lifton and Schecter) Bohman, M and Van Korring, A.. (1979) "Psychiatric illness among adults adopted as infants". Acta Psychiati Scand.

22. There is an Increased likelihood for disabilities for children who have been adopted. New Jersey study by Brodzinsky and Steiger looked at the high numbers of adoptees in special education. Adopted children made up about 5 to 7 percent of the children studied with neurological, perceptual, or emotional problems. Yet, they represented only 1 to 2 percent of the general population of children.

23. GENETICS

24. DNA Plays a Huge Role Approximately 4 million babies are born each year. About 3 to 4% will be born with a genetic disease or major birth defect. Approximately 1% of all babies will be born with chromosomal abnormality, which can cause physical problems and mental retardation. Approximately 10% of all adults and 30% of children in hospitals are there due to genetically related problems. There are more than 6,000 known genetic disorders. Nussbaum, RL, McInnes RR, Willard HF. Thompson & Thompson's Genetics in Medicine, 7 th ed. 2007, WB Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/idbd/2.cfm

25. Sisters

26. This is Me!

27. New Options There are options for finding out at least some medical information. 23 and Me offers a health report. In the report genetic predispositions are given. For instance I have twice the likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis. It is something to share with my doctors. www.23andme.com

28. My Brother

29. FUTURE GENERATIONS WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY CHILD?

30. NATHAN

31. Adoption Effects Cont… Are my disabilities hereditary? Did I cause my son to have Autism? Does anyone in my biological family have Autism or learning disabilities like my son? Are there other medical issues I should be concerned about for my son?

32. HOW TO HELP You Can Have a Positive Impact!

33. Be Person centered I AM A PERSON ABOVE ALL ELSE! Person Centered language model is positive and powerful. It is NOT about being politically correct. This language style is empowering for the person.

34. EXAMPLES “I am so excited we are having a family dinner on Thursday and we are going to invite Mary and Todd and their new adopted kids.” Being person centered means focusing on the people not the labels or conditions. “I am so excited we are having a family dinner on Thursday and we are going to invite Mary, Todd and their kids Ashley and Morganne.

35. You Can …… Listen Offer Real Solutions Genetic testing Help person get non- identifying information or other information that is available. Search for Biological Family Eliminate the “Shoulds” Offer or get professional help EARLY. Never Lie or exaggerate! Be honest about unknowns!

36. MY STORY

37. BIBLIOGRAPHY Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Foster care statistics 2011. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. Bohman, M and Van Korring, A.. (1979) "Psychiatric illness among adults adopted as infants". Acta Psychiati Scand. Weiss, A. Symptomatology of adopted and nonadopted adolescents in a psychiatric hospital. Adolescence (1985) 19:77-88 Dalby, J.T., Fox, S., and Haslam, R.H. Adoption and foster care rates in pediatric disorders. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (1982) 3:61-64 Brodzinsky, D.M., and Brodzinsky, A.B. The impact of family structure on the adjustment of adopted children. Child Welfare (1992) 71:69-75 Singer, L.M., Brodzinsky, D.M., and Braff, A.M. Children’s beliefs about adoption: A developmental study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (1982) 3:285-94. http://ouradopt.com/adoption-blog/nov-2009/lisas/studies-pointing- disability-levels-among-adopted-childrenhttp://ouradopt.com/adoption-blog/nov-2009/lisas/studies-pointing- disability-levels-among-adopted-children https://www.childwelfare.gov/ Nussbaum, RL, McInnes RR, Willard HF. Thompson & Thompson's Genetics in Medicine, 7 th ed. 2007, WB Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/idbd/2.cfm

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