“Special needs adoption” is a very broad term that describes the medical, developmental, psychological or emotional needs of a child being adopted. Those needs can range from the minor to moderate, including, skin conditions, limb differences, cleft lip/palate, atresias, developmental or speech delays, or low birth weight. The more moderate needs could be HIV, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hydrocephalus, albinism, heart defects, or vision and hearing loss.

America World recognizes that medical needs can be a scary thought for some families, but has seen many successful adoptions of children with medical needs happening almost daily. It is important to understand that a family considering the adoption of a child with medical needs, or a waiting child, is able to indicate the types of needs that the family is willing to consider when filling out the adoption application.

As the family continues through the adoption process and once their dossier is officially accepted by their adoptive country, their Family Coordinator will contact them whenever a child meeting their specific preferences becomes available for adoption. The family has a specified time to review the child’s profile before making a decision. If the family decides not to accept that referral, the child is likely placed on the Waiting Child Photolisting page of the America World website.  Children on these pages are typically those with more moderate to severe needs but are available to any family who has completed their adoption paperwork. Please keep this in mind when reviewing the Waiting Child Photolisting pages.

We invite you to learn more about specific “special needs adoption” below.