Waiting Children with Special Needs

Spence-Chapin works hard to find loving homes for children with special needs and maintains a pool of families with completed applications and home studies. Because it is our goal to place infants with forever families as rapidly as possible, the babies for whom we are seeking homes may change from week to week. To contact us about one of the children below or to inquire about other children with special needs waiting for their forever families, please complete the ASAP Pre-Application form or contact us as asap@spence-chapin.org or 212-369-0300.

*Domestic Adoption*
Julia
	We are looking for a forever family for Julia. Julia is a Caucasian baby girl born four weeks prematurely on April 25th. She weighed 4lbs 13 ounces at birth. Julia’s interim care mom reports that Julia has found her hands and is fascinated by them, she wakes up with a smile and is very sociable. She is able to entertain herself in her crib but also loves to be held. Julia has a hearty appetite, eats 4-6 ounces three times a day and sleeps well. Julia’s birth mother abused drugs throughout the pregnancy. She and Julia tested positive for cocaine at the time of birth. In addition, the birth mother acknowledged drinking a significant amount of alcohol while pregnant. Julia has an ASD and will need to be followed by a Cardiologist. Babies who were exposed to alcohol are at risk for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder which includes learning, behavior and attention problems. Heavy alcohol exposure, can lead to more neurological impairment and severe problems. Should Julia encounter challenges as she grows up, it will be very important for her family to provide her with emotional and educational supports which she would need to help her to lead a happy and fruitful life. It is imperative for prospective adoptive families to understand the possible ramifications for the future for any child who has been exposed to alcohol. We therefore request that families research this area thoroughly and be prepared to parent a child who could have significant issues. It is not possible to determine to what extent Julia will be effected by her pre-natal exposure but it’s known that alcohol can permanently and seriously damage a developing fetus. If your family could be this baby’s forever family and if you have, or could quickly get, an up-to-date home study, please complete the ASAP client pre-application form. We will contact you if your family is a possible match for Julia or for another waiting baby.
Maurice	Thank you all for contacting us in regards to Maurice. The Birth mother has chosen a family for him and he will be placed very soon.
Cheryl	We have also found a family for Cheryl and she will be placed with her forever family soon.
*International Adoption*
Yeiseul
	Spence-Chapin is actively looking for a family for this child located in Korea who has been referred to us through our Korea program. Please contact Namyi Min, Korea program coordinator, at nmin@spence-chapin.org to hear more about this lovely child who is ready to be immediately matched with her family. Yeiseul is a happy 8 month old girl. She is a beautiful baby who babbles, laughs, and makes good eye contact. She is an active child who loves playing with her hands and feet. Yeiseul is growing and developing well. She has had episodes of neonatal seizures. Yeiseul showed seizure like movements about 18 days after birth and was admitted to the hospital. There was another episode of seizure like movements after the discharge and she was admitted to the hospital again three days later. She is now in the seizure free status according to her pediatricians. Testings showed abnormalities consistent with encephalopathy. According to international pediatricians who have reviewed Yeiseul’s referral stated that there is a possible concern that Yeiseul might go on to have developmental delays in the future, especially cognitive delays. We prefer to have a family that has completed their homestudy and has CIS approval, however, families currently in Home Study will be considered. Please review the Korea eligibility guidelines when matching a family and feel free to contact Namyi Min if you have any questions.