Where to start:

• Check out the following Creating a Family radio shows:
  • January 30 2008: Health Issues with Internationally Adopted Children
  • March 26, 2008: Adopting the Waiting Child
  • October 1, 2008: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
  • January 21, 2009: Raising a Child with Attention Deficit Disorder
  • April 22, 2009: The Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing 

•  Videos on Adopting a Special Needs child:
  • Adopting a Child with Special Needs from China (10 minutes)
  • If you are thinking about adopting a child with special needs, this video is a must see. It’s the perfect eye opener on what we mean by special needs.

General Information on Adopting Children with Special Needs:

• Rainbow Kids has a great database that allows you to search for children available world wide for adoption (including the US) by handicapping condition. They list about 50 handicaps and provide information, support groups, and pictures (when allowed by the birth country).
• Rainbow Kids has done it again. They have a list of all the agencies that have special needs adoption programs in China.  They identify which agencies have access to the shared list and which agencies also have a agency specific (or dedicated) list. If these terms mean nothing to you, then check out the following Creating a Family video on Adopting a Child with Special Needs from China.
• Adopting Older Children by Ellen Singer. Good online essays.
• No Hands But Ours Focused primarily on adopting kids with special needs from China. Great site with stories from families that have adopted, information, and listings of children currently available for adoption.
• Love Without Boundaries and Rainbow Kids teamed up to create a Special Needs Manual on CD to help prospective adoptive parents understand specific special needs. There are photos and explanations of 75 conditions. It can be purchased from Love Without Boundaries.
• First Signs is a fabulous first-stop website if you have concerns that your child is not developing normally. First Signs is dedicated to educating parents and professionals about the early warning signs of autism and related developmental and behavioral disorders, as well as learning disabilities. This site covers early warning signs, screenings, and treatment. As a bonus they also have a nifty page on understanding your insurance coverage. Great site!
• Reece's Rainbow's mission is to find homes for orphans with downs syndrome. They are not an agency, rather they specialize in identifying children with down syndrome throughout the world in need of adoption. They also have a terrific support network for post adoption.
• Positively Orphaned is dedicated to assisting people who are interested in helping HIV positive orphans find families.

 Cleft Lip or Palate:

• Wide Smiles is a great website chock full of information for perspecitve parents or parents. This is the place to start.
•  American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association 
  
• Johns Hopkins Center for Craniofacial Development and Disorders
• Your Cleft-Affected Child: The Complete Book of Information, Resources, and Hope by Carrie T. Gruman-Trinkner
• Lippy The Lion by Joanne Green  Great picture book for young children. The story is about a little lion born with a cleft lip. It has a resource section for parents. The book was published in late 2006 so the resources are fairly up to date.
• Support groups
  • Cleft-Talk is an online discussion list that will link you to other families around the world who are dealing/have dealt/will deal with the very same challenges that you face today.
  • Cleft Chat Yahoo group for parents of children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:

• The F.A.S. Family Resource Institute is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to identify, understand and care for each person with FASD. This website is chock-full of resources for parents, including a newsletter, brochures, and info on the best practices in care of FASD.
• There is a research unit in the University of Washington School of Medicine. It's main goals are to conduct research on fetal alcohol and drug effects across the life span, to disseminate information on fetal alcohol and drug effects, to provide consultation for persons of any age thought to be affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

• NTI Upstream publishes two booklets on prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs that may be of interest to prospective adoptive parents.

  • Across the Seas : A Guidebook for Parents Adopting From Overseas ($8.00), provides a structured assessment parents can perform while at the orphanage with the child. This assessment helps parents appraise the child’s growth, development and attachment status. Utilizing this information from the beginning to design early intervention strategies, parents are able to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child.
  • Making a Difference ($8.00) This 16-page booklet presents a complete review of what is known about the effects of prenatal alcohol and drug exposure on the infant and child.

• "The Listening Heart" is an educational documentary that chronicles the day-to-day challenges of children, parents, and families who struggle with the consequences of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The Listening Heart combines parents’ insights backed up with scientific information about prenatal alcohol exposure and its effects on intellectual and behavioral development. It is $21.95.
• The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) is committed to developing and implementing innovative ideas in prevention, education, intervention, and advocacy for FASD.
• Alcohol Related Birth Injury (FAS/FAE) Resource Site provides specific resources for Canadian families, but the general information is relevant to all families affected by FASD.
• The Family Empowerment Network is a resource, referral, support, and research program serving families affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This is a great source for information.
• FAS Community Resource Center provides as much information as you could want on FASD. They also sponsor a wonderful page which includes a comprehensive list of internet resources on FASD.
• FAS Help provides resources links for families.
• Here's a website started by a mom who adopted more than one child with FASD. I love the name as well as the personal essays on this site. If you are considering a child that may have FASD, check out this site. Fasaholics Anonymous.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diaries Blog by mom of a 15 year old daughter with FAS.
  
• The Centers for Disease Control offers a great site with lots of up to date information on FAS and FASDs. They have a section for called what's new that highlights recent findings.

Sensory Processing Disorders:

• On the April 22, 2009 Creating a Family show, our guest was Carol Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, and its sequel, The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder. This is a great starting place.
• The June 25, 2008 Creating a Family show was and interview with Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, author of Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic.
• The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, and its sequel, The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder by Carol Kranowitz The Out-of-Sync Child has become the “bible” for parents with a child with SPD, with good reason. It truly is the best first place stop to learn more. Carol’s positive and practical approach will reassure parents and spur them into action.
• Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. I’ve said it before and I'll say it again, this book is simply the best. It does not use the term sensory processing disorder but every single word will apply. It may very well become your lifeline.
• Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration: Therapy for Children with Autism and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders by Paula Aquilla, Shirley Sutton, and Ellen Yack—This spiral-bound book provides a good overview of the sensory diet concept of helping kids with sensory processing issues. Full of practical suggestions.
• A list of parent support groups.
• Just Take a Bite by Lori Ernsperger and Tania Stegen-Hanson is a great book for parents of kids with eating issues, including oral defensiveness, food aversions, and extreme pickiness.
• Integrated Listening Systems was mentioned by Carol Kranowitz on the April 22 Creating a Family show as a good resource for auditory processing therapy.
• www.floortime.org- Based on Stanley Greenspan’s idea of spending quality time with your child to learn her strengths and to increase bonding. Although this concept was pioneered to work autistic children it is also for a kiddo with SPD.
• www.spdnetwork.org You are not alone. This is the place to find others. They put on a great conference every year.
• Developmental Delay Resources provides resources integrating conventional and holistic approaches for kids with all types of developmental delays, including SPD.
• Books for kids with SPD- I think it is crucial to help children understand SPD. Your child already intuitively knows he or she is different and usually finds it empowering to get more information. These books would also be very helpful for siblings of a child with SPD.
  • The Goodenoughs Get in Sync: A Story for Kids about the Tough Day When Filibuster Grabbed Darwin's Rabbit's Foot and the Whole Family Ended Up in the Doghouse--An Introduction to Sensory Processing Disorder by Carol Kranowitz and T. J. Wylie (8-12) This is an easy chapter book for either your child to read by herself or you to read to her. It is the story of a family of five plus a dog that each deal with a different sensory processing challenge. Each family member is challenged by this very tough day and needs to use some important coping skills.
  • Arnie and His School Tools: Simple Sensory Solutions That Build Successby Jennifer Veenendall (8-12- although might be considered babyish for many 12 year olds unless new to the whole idea of SPD) This illustrated book, written from the SPD child’s viewpoint, follows a little boy who had difficulty in school until he was equipped with the tools to accommodate his sensory needs.
  • Meghan's World: The Story of One Girl's Triumph over Sensory Processing Disorder by Diane M. Renna and Regina Stark (4-8) This true story of a child with SPD follows Meghan up to her first school show where she succeeds. I like the fact that this book covers some common therapies used for SPD since your child will likely relate. Meghan deals with a variety of SPD issues, including Sensory Modulation, Sound Sensitivity, Social Insecurity, Hypo/Hyper-Responsiveness, Tactile Defensiveness, Visual Perception, Sensory Processing, and Allergies/Food Intolerance.