The transition from summer to school isn’t easy for most kids (who really wants to say goodbye to summer?!), but for children who have experienced trauma, this transition can be especially fraught. As a parent, you’ve probably got some anxieties about your child’s ability to transition back into a school setting. We’d like to offer some tools to navigate this transition and advocate for adoption sensitivity.
If you follow our blog, then earlier this month you already learned about what autism is and how it can be different for each person. Even if you don’t feel like an expert yet, that’s okay! You don’t need to know the ins and outs of the neurological disorder to be a good parent. You just need to know how to advocate for your child and find the best resources for them. And in case you don’t have an arsenal of resources yet, we put some together for you!
Remember being 20-something and thinking that you had control of how your life would turn out? So did Sarah! She thought about adoption, but assumed that she’d be married first. Which is why being a mom was nowhere on her radar when she met 8-year-old Liam. Little did Sarah know, that within the next year, life as she knew it would be changed forever!
How much do you really know about autism? Maybe what you know is based on prime-time dramas, a news article here or there, or some posts from a Facebook group. But how can you be sure that what you know is accurate? If you’re contemplating whether your family could be a good fit for a child with autism, don’t let uncertainty scare you away. This blog will go over the basics of what to expect when parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder.
Hosting match events is one of the most enjoyable activities we get to do at Indiana Adoption Program. These events are held every couple of months, and bring together recommended pre-adoptive families with youth who are looking for their forever home. Match events can be magical to watch — we get to see a room of timid kids and adults turn from strangers to fast friends in just a few short hours.
When many people think about the holidays, what comes to mind are all the traditions they’ve had over the years, and the fond memories that accompany them. But for an adopted child, the “most wonderful time of year” sometimes isn’t always so wonderful.
We offer a few tips to help your adopted child feel more at ease this holiday season. Or at the very least, help you feel more prepared in sharing this time of year with someone who might not experience it the same way that you do.
Often, birth parents and foster parents feel as though they’re put in an adversarial position, instead of being encouraged to work together. But in the best scenarios, foster parents serve as a strong source of support for birth parents, and birth parents learn to trust foster families as part of their team. To celebrate Reunification Month, we put together some ways that foster parents can work with birth parents toward reunification!
David and Dayna’s adoption journey led them to adopt four younger children from foster care. But once the Atkinsons learned about how many teens in Indiana need forever families, there was no doubt that their journey wasn’t over yet.
Brandy and Matt decided to adopt through foster care because of the number of children in the system who need homes. They became foster parents who were supportive of reunification, but were also open to pre-adoptive placements. Now a family of 6, they admit that adopting 4 kids wasn’t in their initial plan. But, they also adamantly insist that their family is “messy, but perfect in our messiness.”
From community events to parades, educational meetings to social media posts, Adoption Champions utilize every opportunity to find forever families for the children and youth in Indiana Adoption Program. They’re the perfect people to talk to as you begin your adoption journey!
We love celebrating the families who make the decision to adopt children and youth in Indiana Adoption Program. But we also love celebrating the families – birth families, foster families, friends who feel like family – who work toward reunification in every way possible. And June – National Reunification Month – is the perfect time to do that!
If you have biological kids, you wonder how adoption will affect them. Should you worry about birth order? How much of a “say” should you give your biological children in your decision to adopt? We asked a biological child to share her experience of going from being an only child to being the oldest of 6.
The impact of the recent physical distancing on our economic, infrastructural and psychological stability will be felt for years to come. It can be hard to look for the positives in this situation — but we found two families willing to share how they created opportunities for good.
There are lots of ways to help foster and adoptive families, foster children, and at-risk youth right now, even during the stay-at-home order. Read on for volunteer opportunities around the state and other ideas to keep our community strong.
With the COVID-19 health crisis at the forefront of daily life, it can feel like there are so many more unknowns than “knowns.” This is new territory, and figuring it out as we go along seems to be the name of the game. Fortunately, there are some outstanding resources available for foster and adoptive families (truthfully, for any families!) who are navigating this uncertain time.