Add This To Your Reading List

After having traveled to Ukraine in November and experiencing such a disappointing first appointment, when I read about this book, I had to have it. No matter how many seminars you attend on international adoption or how well versed you think you may be on what to expect - NOTHING prepares you for the SDA appointment and then the meeting with the child or children. You will be rapidly told about files and diagnoses will be thrown at you as if you are medical dictionary or textbook. The psychologist will look at you and say, "So which one do you want to visit?" and then stare at you as if she wants an answer immediately (just so you'll know, she does expect an immediate answer). If you've been following many blogs at all, you know that the SDA file provides little information on the children and much of it more than likely is not accurate because the file has not been updated. When you visit a child, you have to know what to look for and it certainly helps to be educated so that when you are a complete wreck and your emotions are running high, you can make a good decision about whether or not to accept a referral.

Risk and Promise: A Handbook for Parents Adopting a Child from Overseas

Authors: Ira J. Chasnoff; Linda D.Schwartz, Ph.D.; Cheryl L.Pratt, Ph.D; and Gwendolyn J. Neuberger, M.D.

Adoption lawyer's observations, August 11, 2007 (as posted on Amazon.com): Next June I will have been working in the adoption field for forty years. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. I believe this book is a MUST for anyone contemplating a foreign adoption and should be considered by anyone adopting a child, foreign or domestic. It contains critical information to be considered in accepting a placement.

Too often I have seen adoptive parents make emotional decisions which they later regretted. If one has made the caring decision to adopt a special needs child and rationally evaluated the impact on the family and themselves as adoptive parents, then I encourage the adoption. However, when one is in a foreign environment, exhausted, anxious to get back home, then prospective parents can make poor decisions and rush into an unsuitable placement.

This book discusses the health hazards, what to look for in a child and provides basic information to help in evaluating the placement. Dr. Chasnoff is a champion in helping parents and children. I am very grateful for the articles he has written and the experience and wisdom he has shared with me, my colleagues and adoptive parents. I highly recommend this book. I am recommending my clients buy and read it.

This book can be purchased for $14.95 by clicking on:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/097077625X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1