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Adopting again

honey77 May 5, 2016 22:40
Hi I'm just wondering if anyone has adopted their first child with disabilities and then gone on to adopt again? Thank you
Edited 17/02/2021
loadsofbubs May 6, 2016 08:26
haven't done it myself but have continued to foster and several of them had disabilities too. it can be done but a lot will depend on your own, and your child's, ability to manage that change. my son is a pretty laid back, compliant, mobile young man with downs syndrome, though does have a severe learning disability, autistic traits, communication problems and chronic medical problems. he has mostly managed quite well but one child did challenge him greatly and had this been an adoption it would have become untenable very quickly, as indeed it did as a fostering placement. so choosing the second child carefully is very important, as with any second adoption, but probably more so where the first child is disabled. I probably wouldn't have managed full time with a second (well, fourth in my case as AS is my third child) until AS was the age he was when I started to foster full time (14) due to his medical and emotional needs at the time. when he was much younger, about 20 months, I was asked to take on another child with DS for adoption and I did consider it, but the reality was that I knew I wouldn't have managed the physical effort needed to cart around two non mobile children, manage their differing appointment schedules, my AS's very poor (at the time) health. so yes, it can be done, but it takes a lot more thought than first time around. and you might meet some sw's who don't think it can be done particualry in today's climate of so few children available for adoption anyway. some sw's might prefer 'their' children placed on their own or with more typically developing children and possibly fear the potential for another child becoming a mini carer for the first, or having to take responsibility for the first child if something happened to you when they were older etc so might be worth thinking through how to answer those doubts (raised becoz I had to answer them, and others, myself 20 years ago!)
Edited 17/02/2021
BermudaBlue May 6, 2016 12:53
I have adopted a child with a disability - I already had three birth children and one adopted child. We went on to long term foster another child with a disability and we have now adopted her too! PM me if you want with any questions.
Edited 17/02/2021
Special kids mummy May 6, 2016 14:20
We have have adopted twice and both our children have complex medical and physical needs.
Edited 17/02/2021
honey77 May 10, 2016 19:43
Thank you for your responses. We have a lot to think about before embarking on the Adoption Roller-coaster again. We worry most on the impact on our AS and how much time we spend with him now and what would happen if we had to reduce this. Lots of discussing in the coming months. Thank you again for you wise words and support :-)
Edited 17/02/2021

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