Types of Adoption

Domestic Infant Adoption – Adoption of children from newborn to 1 year old. Prospective adoptive parents are typically selected by expectant parents interested in making an adoption plan for their child(ren), and in many of these cases, they have met prior to the birth of the child. According to Adoptive Families Magazine, “While ongoing contact is increasingly common, the extent of that contact varies significantly. Birthparents generally fall into one of three categories: young, single mothers; married couples with financial problems; and teenagers.”

In some cases, the adoptive family is expected to pay for some or all of the prenatal and birth expenses of the birth mother who is planning to place her child for adoption. In some cases, the adopting family may also be expected to pay reasonable living expenses, including rent and clothing, for the expectant mother. The laws relating to this vary by state. Check with your state’s department of human services before paying any expectant parent expenses.

Costs for domestic programs can vary, but are typically between $10,000 and $40,000 USD. While there are currently no age restrictions in place, expectant parents choosing adoptive parents for their baby typically choose families between the ages of 26 and 45.  About 4 in 10 pregnancies are unplanned, and less than 1 percent of those result in an adoption. Each adoptive family must adhere to the laws of the state in which the child is born before they can bring the child to their home state. Families in this situation must complete an ICPC (Interstate Compact) which can take between 2 days and 2 weeks under typical conditions. Children born in the United States cannot legally be relinquished prior to birth.

Waiting Children - The large majority of these children are adopted through state or county adoption agencies and are considered to be waiting children. They come into the public welfare system or foster care because of parental abuse, abandonment or neglect. Some of these children have emotional and/or behavioral difficulties as a result of their experiences. Some also have physical and developmental disabilities. The majority of these children are school-aged; some are sibling groups who are adopted together.

Nationwide 118,000 children wait in state care for adoption. A majority of them are children of minority heritage who face significant developmental, medical, behavioral and/or emotional challenges. Many are members of sibling groups; most are school-aged. Many placement agencies work to make a connection between families who adopt and the children who wait.

Through services provided by these agencies, vulnerable children in need of families are adopted and those families are supported. Children adopted from foster care are able to recover from past trauma and move forward to build skills that will help them be productive and successful in the future. They are given the opportunity they deserve to reach their potential to live happy lives, to raise healthy children, and to help our communities thrive. (www.adoptex.org)

Special Needs - Same as the above definition for "waiting children." However, children with special needs are typically those that are difficult to place, and not always difficult to parent. Special needs children may be teenagers, minority or multiracial children, sibling groups, children eight years or older, children with emotional or behavioral issues, and children who may be physically, mentally or developmentally challenged.

Open, Semi-Open, and Closed Adoption - Different agencies or organizations may have varying interpretations of these terms. The definitions provided here are meant only to provide a general overview and may not match completely how your agency or adoption professional uses the term.

An open adoption is one in which identifying information such as last names, addresses and telephone numbers are exchanged between the placing parents and adoptive parents. In some cases, the child may visit with birth parents on a regular basis. In a fully open adoption, the birth parent(s) and the adoptive family know each other and have ongoing communication about the child by telephone and/or letters and pictures on a scheduled basis.

In a semi-open adoption, communication is more limited. Last names, addresses and telephone numbers are usually not exchanged. The sharing of letters and photos is less frequent, and all communication takes place through a third party, typically the adoption agency or adoption attorney. Note: some adoption professionals only facilitate communications by letter for one year after placement.

In a closed adoption, no identifying information about the birth family or the adoptive family is shared or exchanged and the families do not communicate. The adoptive family usually receives non-identifying background information about the child and birth family before placement, such as medical history. After adoption, the records are sealed and are typically not available to the adopted child.

Identified or Targeted Adoption - In this type of adoption, expectant parents have identified the family in whom they wish to adopt their child. You'll see this is typical when the hopeful adoptive family has "networked" to locate an adoption situation.

Independent Adoption - This type of adoption is arranged through an intermediary such as an attorney or physician, rather than through a licensed adoption agency. The intermediary may know of or find the expectant mother, who plans to place her child for adoption, or may help the expectant mother locate a family interested in adopting her child. Note: Independent adoptions are not legal in all states. You must check with your state department of social services to find out the laws of your particular state.

International Adoption - These are adoptions of children who were born or are nationals of a country outside the United States.  Families motivated to choose International adoption do so for a variety of reasons. Some families don’t meet agency guidelines for domestic adoptions, but they qualify in other countries as adoptive parents; the family may wish to adopt in a specific country because of their own family’s heritage and because they speak the native language of the child they’re adopting; the adoptive family knows of another family who successfully adopted internationally; and in some cases, the wait time and costs for international adoption are more predictable than domestic adoption. Many adoptive parents choosing International Adoption do so because domestic adoption is not a good fit for their family. Popular programs today are based in China, Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine, Russia, Guatemala, Columbia, India, Kazakhstan, and more being added every day.