Adoption doesn’t end when you bring your child home. Fortunately, neither do WACAP’s services. Being an adoptive parent is a lifelong process—and as your family’s needs change over the years, our support and expertise are available to help you meet those needs. Our Social Services Department can help you with questions or concerns about your child’s physical or emotional development, educational needs, behavioral issues or cultural identity.

For instance, you might notice that your feelings toward your adopted child change as he or she gets older. Our staff can reassure you that this is normal. Most parents are satisfied with adoption at first —in fact, in national and WACAP surveys, more than 90 percent of parents report “feeling very close” to their children. Although this satisfaction rate dips to 59 percent during the teenage years, it rebounds to 80 percent by the time the child is 19.

It’s also normal to have some concerns about your child’s education. This was the number-one issue for parents in both national and WACAP surveys. Although 47 percent of adoptees in the national survey get As and Bs, 43 percent of families indicated that their child had received some special education help. WACAP families report that speech therapy and general “catch up” services are very common among their children.

To find answers for your specific parenting concerns, try a parent support group. A large adoption agency in your area, or your state’s child services department, should have information on local contacts. If you live in the Puget Sound area of Washington state, please consider bringing your questions to WACAP’s monthly support group for parents of older children. You can also visit the WACAP Adoption Forum for WACAP parents who've adopted children 2 and older.

For more information on parenting and cultural connections for adoptive families, please try the following links:

Karen's Adoption Links
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
Rainbow Kids
Adoption.com
Parents Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child
Baby Center
Kidsource