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sending pm Jet

Believe it or not but a child with Down's Syndrome is hard to come by, i think birth parents are more inclined to keep there babies now as there is a lot more information about the Syndrome and they get a lot of support.We are with a VA and are actively looking for a baby with Down's Syndrome, but we are not ruling out other children, it's all down to the match and whether you are right for the child.You will have to do a lot of research and even get some experience of looking after children with disabilities, having a support network of parents with children with Down's Syndrome would help too.I don't think it matters whether you go with a VA or LA for a certain kind of child, but make the fact clear at the beginning that that is what you are aiming for and then they can adapt your homestudy for children with disabilities.When looking for an agency it has to right for your needs.Good luckDory

HiI have an adopted son with DS who is 8 now. We adopted him through an agency but that is because our LA automatically refers potential adopters to them, I also have to say we've not had the best post adoption support especially when it has come to problems with contact so I'm not sure what difference there will be.If you are so early on in the process and convinced that this is the route you want to go down please get in touch with the National Down Syndrome Association. They offer fantastic advice and we have found their Scottish counterparts to be invaluable at various points before and after our son was placed. I would perhaps also try and get along to one of their toddler groups (I'm assuming its a younger child you are interested in, sorry if I'm wrong) and spend time with other parents and perhaps play with their children if allowed.As I'm sure you are already aware all children with DS have different needs and some can be quite poorly medically whilst others, and thankfully at the present moment my son falls into this category apart from a bit of alopecia, keep very well. I also agree with Dory that children with DS are harder to come by as organisations like the National Down Syndrome Association do such a fantastic job counselling parents and helping them to come to terms with their childs disability and future needs.Some days I could quite easily run away when my wee mans behaviour gets to me other times he is just the best thing since sliced bread, but then I'm the same with my wee girl who has no additional needsMy advice would be to go along with an open mind and your social worker will help you during the process decide what kind of child you should consider adopting. We definately didn't plan to adopt a child with DS or infact any kind of disability but with the help of our social worker we were able to consider our wee man and its the one of the best decisions I've every made.Good luck with whatever you decide.M

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