Below you will find information for families of adopted or foster children.
What additional information do families of adopted or foster children with disabilities need about early intervention or special education services?
In general, the process for getting early intervention or special education services for adopted children with special needs is the same as it is for all children with special needs.
The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse provides information to families who have adopted a child. Their contact information is:
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
330 C Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20447
Telephone: 1.888.251.0075
Email: naic@caliber.com
Web: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/
There is also the Adoptive Families Magazine, a source of help for parents that includes information and resources for families of adopted children that have special needs. Information about subscriptions is available from:
Adoptive Families Magazine
39 West 37th Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
1.800.372.3300
letters@adoptivefam.com
Web: www.adoptivefamilies.com
Families who provide foster homes to children who have disabilities or who are at risk of developing disabilities may want to contact the National Foster Parent Association, Inc. (NFPA). This national, non-profit group offers information and support to all foster parents. Members of the group receive a bimonthly newsletter and can use all the resources of NFPA. For the Information/Services Office of NFPA, contact:
National Foster Parent Association
7512 Stanich Avenue, Suite 6
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
Telephone: 1.800.557.5238
Web: www.nfpainc.org
What support groups are available to help families?
There are several types of parent groups in the U.S., including:
The contact information for all these types of groups is listed on the NICHCY State Resource Sheet for your state. The state sheets are available on our Web site (www.nichcy.org) and by contacting us directly (1.800.695.0285). You can also identify groups on many of the Web sites we’ve listed in the resource section of this publication.
References
Anderson, W., Chitwood, S., & Hayden, D. (1997). Negotiating the special education maze: A guide for parents and teachers (3rd ed.). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House. (Available from Woodbine House, 6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817, 1.800.843.7323, www.woodbinehouse.com.)
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Selected Web Sites of More Information
My duty is to care for her;
my love explains the manner of my days. —Jane Wiley
Early Childhood
American Academy of Pediatrics
1.800.433.9016
www.aap.org
Center for Early Education and Development (CEED)
612.624.5780
http://education.umn.edu/CEED/default.html
Circle of Inclusion
www.circleofinclusion.org/
Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
Council for Exceptional Children
406.243.5898
www.dec-sped.org
Early Childhood Outcomes Center
530.758.7483
www.the-eco-center.org
Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
1.800.583.4135 (V/TTY)
www.clas.uiuc.edu
First Signs, Inc.
978.346.4380
www.firstsigns.org
National Center for Early Development & Learning
www.fpg.unc.edu/7Encedl/
National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)
1.800.616.2242
www.nccic.org/
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC)—
919.962.2001
919.843.3269 (TTY)
www.nectac.org
Research and Training Center (RTC) on Early Childhood Development
828.255.0470
www.researchtopractice.info/
ZERO TO THREE: National Center For Infants, Toddlers and Families
202.638.1144
www.zerotothree.org
Parent Groups & Guidance
Beach Center on Disabilities
785.864.7600
www.beachcenter.org
PACER Center
952.838.9000
www.pacer.org
Parent to Parent—USA
www.p2pusa.org
Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers
1.888.248.0822
www.taalliance.org