{"product_id":"adopting-and-advocating-for-the-rita-laws-9780313360688","title":"Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child: A Guide for Parents and Professionals","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child\u003c\/i\u003e bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 21 children, 13 of them adopted children with special needs. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTens of thousands of children in the United States alone are waiting in foster care for parents, and many Americans, single and married, want to open their hearts and homes to these children who wait. A landmark 1980 federal law made adopting and raising special needs children affordable even for people of limited means. What could be easier than matching these kids to these families? The reality is that many prospective adopters never complete the adoption process because of red tape, regulations, and institutional lethargy. Among the adults who complete a homestudy or placement, lack of support services and advocacy training sometimes leads to heartbreak and adoption failure--not a happy ending. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child\u003c\/i\u003e bridges the gap between the desire to help a waiting child and the reality of America's special needs adoption system. It is designed to be used by adoption professionals and adoptive parents, to help them get started, keep going, and locate whatever additional information and support they need. The authors are adoption professionals, long-time support volunteers, child advocates, and mothers of a total of 23 children, 14 of them adopted children with special needs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rita Laws\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0313360685\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780313360688\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Praeger\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.87lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.58d","brand":"Rita Laws","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48453307695359,"sku":"9780313360688","price":35.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0f4cbef8-5ee3-441d-9dc6-73352cb8c97d.jpg?v=1777299486","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/adopting-and-advocating-for-the-rita-laws-9780313360688","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}