Why are so many special needs kids up for adoption?

Question

My local ABC News affiliate has a special segment every Wednesday called "Wednedays Child" and a lot of the kids they spotlight are special needs. Are their parents simply abandonding them because of the social stigma associated with them?? This is heart breaking. We are one sick society.

http://adopt.org/servlet/page?_pageid=289&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30

Answer 1

As HappyMomAnna wrote, special needs children often have "parents unable to meet (their needs); it is about the lack of resources and services to help them parent the special meeds child... The choices to parent are often unaffordable and often the only way to access service includes signing over their parental rights..."

And as Twist of Fate wrote, sibling groups are reported as "special needs", as are children with ADD/ADHD or other learning disabilities, no matter how minor or severe.

As the mother of an autistic adult, I can't imagine relinquishing my child simply because of his disability.  I can, however, understand that some parents may not have any resources, or that a child's disabilities are so severe that without public support & assistance, they believe turning their child over to the state is in the best interest of their child.  I cannot imagine having to make that kind of heart breaking decision!

"God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes

'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues.

God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes

'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose." from the song "What It's Like" by Everlast

Answer 2

I don't know what percentage of kids in foster care were abandoned, but many of the kids were removed from their parents' care due to abuse/neglect.  Often, the kids have special needs due to in-utero exposure to drugs and alcohol.  I don't watch much tv, but when I have seen the Wednesday's Child segment, it has usually featured older children.  The reason these children are up for adoption might vary widely, but most likely the reason they are STILL up for adoption is because there are not enough people wanting to adopt from foster care who are interested in older children with special needs.

Answer 3

not to be mean or anything, but maybe the parents dont want them. Personally i would not give up my child just because he/she just had special needs but there are some sick people who would give up their kids because they were 'retards'. If they had've known that their child had a disability during pregnancy, they probably would've had an abortion.

As i said, i do not agree with this.

Answer 4

Because some jerks don't want to keep their developmentally challenged children. I agree with what your saying. This is so sad. These children are just as lovable as any other child. These people are missing out on a lot of love from these children that they choose to give up.

Answer 5

You are also more apt to see children with special needs on Wednesday's child because they tend to have to wait longer for a potential adoptive family.  They don't NEED to do a Wednesday's Child for a healthy newborn or two-year-old, because those children are easy to place - that doesn't mean that those children aren't relinquished for adoption, just that they don't need a resource like Wednesday's Child the way a teenager or a child with multiple handicaps, for example,  might.

Answer 6

I wouldn't make any hasty judgments. Many times these children come from parents who also have their own history of problems.  For instace, bi-polar disorder is hereditary.  It's a difficult thing to deal with.  If the parent or parents haven't had the right help with their own disorders, they are definitely not able to effectively deal with the problem in the child.  That's just one expample.  My point is that sometimes it may be a situation where parents just don't have wha it takes to love a child enough to handle special needs.  But often it is more a case where parents themselves don't have the skills, or the tools, or the support in their own lives to handle special needs.  It's sad, any way you look at, no doubt.

Answer 7

In addition to everything others have said, I want to add that sometimes the parent just doesn't have the resources.  If you can't keep a roof over your head, how are you going to raise a special needs child?  

My relative finalized the adoption of his daughter (now 8) last year.  She'd been in foster care since birth and passed over by couples ever since due to her heart ailment.  The mother abandoned her partly due to the fact that she had no means to care for such a sick infant.

Answer 8

because no one can handle them

Answer 9

Drugs....

Loss of Family Values and Supports....

As for those children with Speaicl Needs and parents unable to meet them it is about the Lack of Resorces and services to help them parent the Special Needs child... The choices to parent are often Unaffordable and often the only way to access service includes Signing Over the parental rights... Once this happens the states have the option to find parents who can meet the childs needs......

Answer 10

Children in some states are considered "special needs" soley due to the fact they have been removed from their family and may be at risk as a result. Many parents end up relinquishing their parental rights because the state is in the process of terminating those rights anyway. So, to answer your question, I don't believe it's so much that children are being abandon; a lot of parents the state becomes involved in are truly unable to keep their children safe and cared for.

Answer 11

I think it just depends Special needs is a very vague term. For example a large siblings group would be considered special needs. On the link that was provide they had a Sib Group of 6 ranging in age from 3 to 13. It would take a special person or couple to adopt that many children in one blow.

Of course if a child has severe medical problems and their parents are unable to provide adequate care. Or even just don’t feel they can deal with a seriously special needs child.  They may feel its best to have the child adopted to a family that can afford the child’s medical bills and health care. Of course that said again it takes a strong and special person or couple to adopt a child that has severe health problems.

Answer 12

Its because of all the tools out there who think abortion is murder and make women feel like garbage about it when in actual fact they choose not to keep the baby becuase they know they can't provide a stable, loving and safe life for a child. THATS WHY!

Answer 13

We have Wednesday's child on here as well.  Most of these kids come from broken homes.  Many of their parents are in prison or suffer from drug addiction.  I beleive that most of these kids were taken from their parents.